The Legend of Zelda: Curse of Midnight
by Fifteen Skies
Summary: Link is an orphaned farm hand who leads a quiet life. Little does he know what fate has in store for him... - Between TP an WW - LinkXIlia - MANY OCs
1. Act 1 Chapter 1

Disclaimers: I don't own any part of the Zelda franchise, but I do own the character adaptations, OCs, and this version of Hyrule geography.

=====Act I=====

===Chapter 1===

==Scene 1==

Twilight was approaching, the hour of mystery, the hour where the worlds of light and dark cross paths. Bathed in the orange rays of twilight, two youths sat under a tree in the orchard behind her farmhouse. She was leaning onto him, resting her head against his shoulder. It was one of the many evenings they spent in the orchard, contemplating and talking softly about every subject under the sun.

"It's almost nighttime," she said, sitting up. Her Hylian accent was unmistakable.

"Yeah," he replied. He put his arm around her shoulder. "The night is getting colder these days," he said to her.

"I don't mind," she said, moving in closer to him, "It's romantic. The kind of nights you'd spend with your love in front of the fire, sitting close…" she sighed.

"Typical girl!" laughed the boy. They were both around seventeen, the girl a month or two younger.

"Well what do you want me to say?" she asked with mock anger.

"I don't know," he laughed.

"Of course you don't."

Half an hour went by before they spoke again, which was fine with both of them.

"Do you think we'll ever get to travel, and see the world?" she asked suddenly.

Caught off guard, he replied, "Uhh, I don't know. Maybe."

"I want to see Lake Hylia," she said, "Or Hyrule Field. I hear the mountains and cliffs around it are spectacular. Or maybe a fairy spring, or the Bird Spires. I don't know. I want to see it all!"

"Good luck," said the boy good-naturedly, "You'll be lucky to get to the Upper Woods."

"Thanks for the support," she laughed. She looked at him, his features illuminated in the dying twilight. He had intense blue slanted eyes, which stood out well against his pale face and delicately pointed chin. His ears were definitely Hylian: long and pointed. On his right ear he wore a small turquoise earring, a gift from a family friend. His hair, pale like his skin, was blond and shaggy, falling across his forehead in think locks.

The girl's face, on the other hand, was rounder, but still had a pointed chin. Her eyes were soft and brown, complimenting her shoulder-length brown hair, which curled out at the base of her neck in a wide crescent. She also had the trademark Hylian ears.

"So," she said after a pause, "Is there anywhere you'd like to see?"

"I don't know..." he said. He leaned back against the tree, and put his hands behind his head in a relaxed fashion. "Maybe the Kakariko Gorge, or Death Mountain and Dragon Roost."

"Maybe we could see it all together," she said, standing up. She picked two apples from the tree, and tossed one to the boy.

"That would be nice," he said. He stood up, too, and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. She put her head on his shoulder, and they kissed.

"Ilia!!" came a shout from the farmhouse door. It was the girl's younger sister. "Daddy says it's time to come in!"

"Bye Link," Ilia whispered to him, kissed his cheek, then left the orchard. Link stood there for a minute, then hopped the fence and ran down the road to his house, disappearing into the darkness of night.

==Scene 2==

Golden sunlight filtered through Link's window the next morning, shining across his eyes, rousing him from sleep. He sat up, stretched, hopped out of bed, and changed out of his pajamas and into his working clothes. They were very plain, consisting of an off-white shirt and jeans. He ate his breakfast, then headed off down Milk Road, towards Lon Lon Ranch where Ilia lived with her father and sisters.

Milk Road was a well used road that ran between the Ranch and Market Town; Link's house was situated between the two locations. Market Town was a bustling community of farmers and merchants that sat in the shadow of the Outset Mountains, twin mountains in the south-western corner of Hyrule.

Market Town was originally a community called Ordon Village, east of the current location. Ordon was a peaceful town, located beside a fairy spring, and cut off from the rest of the nation by a gorge. However, 300 years ago, Ordon suffered a large blow in what's now called the Twilight Calamity. It never completely recovered, and collapsed a century later after a monster attack. The residents moved east, away from the rubble of what was once their home, and built a new town called New Ordona, which is now the central district of Market Town.

Link arrived at the ranch gate 15 minutes later. He went up to the front door, knocked three times, then stood back a pace or two, knowing what was coming. There was a crash, a shout that sounded like Ilia's, and a moment later the door flew open (which was why Link took a pace back), and there was Ilia, in her pajamas, looking quite disheveled.

"Hey... Link..." she panted.

"You want me to do the same thing as usual?" Link asked.

"Yeah," she was about to turn back when she remembered something. She whirled around to face Link and said: "Oh, you're also supposed to help Cremia with the milking, 'kay?"

"Okay, thanks," Link replied. He ran around behind the farmhouse and the orchard to the stables. Inside, he walked to the back of the building to a light brown horse with a white mane and tail. He opened the horse's stall, and put the saddle on her.

"Let's go, Epona," He said to his horse, then hopped on and rode off into the field.

==Scene 3==

Lon Lon Ranch was utterly massive, stretching across acres of some of the richest and most fertile farmland in Hyrule. The south-eastern area of Hyrule, which included the Ranch, Market Town, and the Outset Mountains, was commonly referred to as the Fields Province for all of it's rich farms. The land in the Fields Province was more fertile than any other expanse of land in the country, for the rest of Hyrule's soil was rocky and poor. The Fields Province, though, was a strange exception, sheltered from the harsh weather by huge, spectacular cliffs.

Link rode across the rolling fields and pastures, the scenery merely blur because of Epona's speed. He reached one of the farthest fields, and stopped when he saw what he was looking for. A small herd of twenty to thirty royal blue goats with an abnormal, ring-shaped horn grazed on the other side of the small brook in front of him.

These goats were descendants of a species known as Ordon goats, livestock which were bred exclusively in the old Ordon Village, hence their name. When the village fell, the residents took the goats with them. Ordon goats were and are relatively smart, able to learn a few simple commands, such as come and stay.

"Come here!" Link shouted. The goats slowly shuffled their way towards him, crossing the brook very carefully.

Link rode around behind them, and slowly herded them across the dozen acres of farmland between their pasture and the farmhouse. He arrived at the barn an hour later, and somehow got the goats into their respective stalls rather easily. He then rode around to the cow barn next door. Beyond that was the stable, and then the farmhouse and orchard. He dismounted Epona, and went inside the barn to find Ilia's older sister Cremia milking the cows.

Cremia pushed her light brown, waist length hair behind her long, pointed Hylian ears, and, without looking up, said:

"Hey Link."

"Uhh, hi," Link replied, caught off-guard.

"Can you start with the cows on the other side there, near the door?" she asked, but didn't wait for his answer. "The buckets should be near you."

"Um, sure," said Link. Being around Ilia's 21-year-old sister was always rather awkward for him.

"Thanks, you're a pal," she said cheerfully, without ever looking up from her work.

Twenty long minutes later, Cremia finished milking the last cow. She stood up with the three buckets she'd filled, and said:

"We're done!"

Link stood up. Cremia was shorter than Ilia, only coming up to Link's eyes. She brushed the straw off of her pale blue shirt and short skirt, then dropped twelve rupees in Link's hand.

"Just a little tip," she smiled. She winked, and left the barn. Link realized he was blushing. He composed himself, and then rode Epona back to the farmhouse. Then, he had a strange idea.

He rode up beside the window in Ilia's bedroom on the ground floor. He looked in to see her on the floor in the middle of the room, writing in what appeared to be a diary.

Link knocked on the window. Ilia let out a small yelp, then put the book away and opened the window.

"What the heck, Link?" she asked, laughing.

"Your knight in shining armor is here! Hop on!" Link smiled. Epona snorted. Ilia laughed and climbed through the window and onto Epona's back. She hugged Link tightly as he rode towards the orchard. Epona jumped the orchard wall, and the two dismounted. Ilia smoothed down her hair, laughing the whole time. Link kissed her on the cheek, and they hugged.

"Thank you, _Sir_ Link," she laughed.

"Any time!"

Link noticed a soft melody whispering from the back of the orchard.

"Do you hear that?" Ilia asked.

"Yeah," Link replied. The two left Epona and walked towards the source of the sound to find Ilia's younger sister Romani playing her small wooden recorder.

"Hey Romani," said Ilia, sitting down beside her. For thirteen, Romani was rather small. "What're you playing."

"I don't know," Romani whispered.

Ever since the death of the girls' mother, Malon, Romani hadn't been her funny, artistic self. She had been reduced to a shy, near-silent girl withdrawn from the world. Malon had died in a monster attack, the same one that had taken the lives of Link's parents. Malon had died defending the ranch armed only with a pitchfork. Romani saw the whole thing up close, including the bloody downfall of her mother. The girl had been eight at the time.

After the attack, Link was 'adopted' by the girls' father, Talon, and Link was as close to Romani as any big brother would be.

Link sat down as well.

"Were you just... making it up?" he asked her.

"I guess so..." she mumbled.

The was a snorting noise, and Epona came trotting towards the trio. She stopped a few feet from them.

"Well Epona likes it!" Ilia laughed.

Puzzled, Romani played the tune again. The falling notes, repeated three times, and four lower notes. Epona bucked, waving her front hooves around. She snorted again.

Romani let out a small laugh, then stood up and stroked Epona's mane. Ilia crept up behind her sister, and clutched her around the waist, and lifted her up to the horse's eye level. Romani screamed and laughed rather openly. Ilia placed her on Epona's back, and Romani hugged the horse's neck.

"Hey, what's goin' on?" came a voice from the orchard's gate. Cremia, walked into the vicinity.

"Romani was playing her little composition, and it seemed to have attracted Epona," Ilia explained. Link was in his it's-awkward-around-Cremia mode.

Romani whispered in Ilia's ear, who retrieved the girl's flute. She played the melody again and Epona bucked, sending the girl flying. Cremia caught her, and the two hit the ground, laughing.

"You should think of a name for the song, Romani," said Cremia.

"Well, since Epona likes it, how 'bout Epona's Song?"

"I think that's a great name," Cremia replied, "What do you think, Ilia? Ilia?" the girl was gone.

==Scene 4==

Ilia had gone inside the farmhouse.

"Daddy!" Ilia cried, running to the den.

"What is it, Ilia?" asked Talon, from behind her. Ilia froze from surprise.

Talon, the father of the three girls, was a large, tall man. Large, but not fat; most of his bulk was muscle. He was a jolly man, able to cheer up a room easily, and never short of jokes and laughter.

"It's Romani!" cried Ilia, "Come quick!!" she grabbed his hand and [attempted] to pull him to the orchard.

==Scene 5==

Ilia and Talon entered the orchard to find her sisters and Link under the apple trees, eating apples. Romani was explaining to Cremia how she draws figures, and they were laughing and having a great time.

"Hey guys," said Ilia, sitting down beside Link.

Talon also entered the small clearing. Romani jumped up and glomped him.

"Daddy!" she laughed.

"How's my baby?" he asked. Inside Talon was overjoyed at his daughter's sudden change in attitude.

"Good! I made a song that Epona likes!" she said. She ran over to the rest of the youths, grabbed her recorder, and played the short melody. There was a snort, and Epona jumped the orchard wall. Cremia screamed, and Ilia laughed and clutched Link's shoulders.

"D'you like it, Daddy?" Romani asked.

"I love it, Romani!" he laughed, lifting her in the air.

"It's great that Romani's feeling better," Link whispered to Ilia, who was leaning against him.

"Yeah. It's been too long without her," she replied, and kissed his cheek.

Romani's recovery seemed the greatest thing in the world now.

*~*~*~*~*

A/N: So, my third re-write of Curse of Midnight. Whaddaya think?

OC Check:

**Link**: Link is an orphaned farm hand who leads a quiet life. Never did he expect what fate has in store for him.

**Ilia**: Talon's middle daughter. She is in a relationship with Link. She is protective of Romani, a quality that will come in handy later on.

**Epona: **Link's horse. She lives at the ranch. She's loyal and obediant.

**Cremia**: The oldest farm girl. She is motherly, taking over her deceased mother's role.

**Romani**: The youngest ranch girl. She took her mother's death very hard, but seems to finally coming out of her shell

**Talon**: The owner of Lon Lon Ranch.

**Malon**: The mother of the three girls. She died defending the ranch in the same struggle that killed Link's parents.


	2. Act 1 Chapter 2

Disclaimers: I don't own Zelda... yet.

==Act 1==

===Chapter 2===

====Scene 1====

Link had told Ilia that, like most Thursdays, he had martial arts practise at Sensei Orca's in New Ordona. He would go to the Ranch, though, and bring some ramen with him (or at least this was asked of him by Ilia.

"Sensei!!" Link called, rapping Orca's wooden door with his knuckles. New Ordona was, ironically, the oldest part of the town. Many of the houses had stucco plastered over the outer walls, strengthened by dark wooden beams, and dark wooden doors and windows to add to the effect. Many say that this look was utterly different from the original Ordon Village. The original Ordon was supposedly very natural, with dirt paths instead of cobblestone streets connecting the wooden houses that were built into the hillsides. To Link, the thought of the old village seemed strange and alien.

Standing in the narrow cobblestone alleyway, Link still impatiently waited for his sensei.

"Sensei!" he called again, continuing to knock on the door. He then noticed the door was open. He slowly swung it open, and was greeted by a dark hallway. He crept in, making the least amount of noise possible. He pressed himself against what he knew to be an outer wall, and slid towards the interior of the small house.

"IYAAAAAA!!!!" came a shout. Link screamed as lethal staff narrowly missed his head. Link jumped forward, smashing his palm into the head of his unknown assailant. The attacker reeled. Link groped for a light switch when another strike with the staff came down. Link's hand caught hold of something metallic, and his fumbled to turn it. A light clicked on, and there was Orca, in his light brown gi*, holding his wooden staff.

"Holy crap… sensei…" Link panted, "What were… you doing…?"

"I wanted to see if you could defend yourself from an attack without warning," Orca laughed, stroking his long white beard, "And I see you can do it well!"

Link brushed his bangs from his forehead, the remaining adrenalin making his hand quake slightly.

"Don't ever do that again!" Link laughed.

"I'll… consider that request," Orca replied, a small twinkle in his eye. He beckoned for Link to follow, and the two climbed the staircase on the other end of the house to the second floor. The entire second floor was a dojo, where Link always trained with Orca. Link loved the dojo, with its woven tatami floors, light brown walls, and huge green reeds of potted bamboo in each corner. Across the walls hung various blades: katana, wakizashi, broadswords, longswords, all with one thing in common aside the blade. All 362 swords belonged to Orca, and all had been used in countless duels.

"What would you like to start with, Link?" Orca asked.

"Eh, maybe a bit of self-defence?" Link replied, caught off guard. Orca always followed a schedule, so the question caught Link off guard.

"Sure," Orca agreed. The two stepped into the centre ring of the upstairs dojo, bowed, and began to practise self defence. Orca always acted as the threat, and Link would exercise his knowledge to defend himself.

A while later they began to practise sword fighting, using thin wooden poles instead of blades. They weren't lethal, but they still hurt. The class passed by rather uneventfully, and Link was let out at 11:30.

====Scene 2====

Link left New Ordona, away from the plaster walled-houses, towards the area consisting more of shops than homes. He stopped in at a ramen stand, bought a bowl of crab ramen, and sat down at one of the nearby tables.

The ramen stand was in the main square of Market Town. This square was what gave the town its name. The vast cobblestone expanse was bordered by apartments, and the grand Town Hall on the north end. Lining the square were vendors selling every kind of fruit, meat, and bread imaginable, imported from all over Hyrule. The south end of the square was littered with tables and chairs, and music poured from the northern end. There was always the chatter of people around this time of day, and there was always a cheerful mood.

Link finished his ramen, and decided to browse through the stalls. In the Town Square, there was always something interesting to buy.

The first stall caught Link's interest immediately. Not because of the goods, but because of the shopkeeper. She was a Zora, the first Link had ever seen. She was tall and graceful, but had a childish look to her silvery-blue scaled face. The fin on her head fell down to her waist, and looked to Link like a long ponytail. Her black eyes glittered with excitement as she served customers. Unlike most Zora's Link had seen in books, this one wore a loose aquamarine poncho, adorned with gold beads. She also had pink coral rings pierced through the fins that hung down the side of her head.

Link drifted towards the Zora's stall, and noticed that all of the items were figuring carved in multiple colours of coral. Eyeing the blue horse statue, he decided that it would be a good gift for Ilia.

"Hello there!" said the Zora cheerfully. Link noticed a few bottles of water on the desk at the back of the stall.

"Hi," said Link, "How much is this figure?"

"Oh, that one? She's 300 rupees," the Zora replied. Her voice was clear and bubbly, and reminded Link of the sound of water running over the rapids in the river behind his house. "Do you like horses?" she asked.

"Yeah, but this will be for my friend," Link said, looking up. The Zora's eyes were almost… enchanting.

"Well I hope she likes it. It's made from coral that I picked from the bottom of Lake Hylia. The blue coral is rare, so that's why it's a little more expensive than the others."

"Well it really is beautiful," said Link. In his mind, he really wanted to ask her more about Lake Hylia, but he didn't know if she'd consider it rude. Shaking the thought away, he produced three hundred rupees from his wallet.

The girl took the money, and put the horse in a small white box.

"Would you like me to wrap it?" asked the Zora.

"No, it's okay", said Link, taking the box from the Zora girl.

"I like you," said the Zora, taking a sip of water, "You're very affable." She held out her clawed, scaled hand. "I'm Kasheri."

"I'm Link," said Link, shaking her hand.

"Come back soon, Link," Kasheri called as he left.

"Hey Link!" came a voice from right behind him. He jumped.

"Ilia!" he laughed, "Don't do that!"

"Sorry," she said, "What's in the box?"

"You tell me," he said, handing her the box, "It's for you."

"Really??" she gasped, "Thank you!" When she saw what was inside, her eyes widened. "It's… beautiful!"

"It's made from genuine Lake Hylia coral," he said, "I thought you'd like it."

"Like it? I love it!"

Ilia and Link continued walking, looking at the items in the shops, trying out the exotic foods, and having a pretty good time. Fifteen minutes later, they were sitting at one of the tables, eating slices of a fruit picked from the depths of the Lost Woods.

"It tastes a bit like a mango," said Ilia, "But with a bit of peach."

"At any rate, it tastes good," Link replied.

"I love this town," said Ilia happily.

"Hey! Ilia! Look over there!" Link exclaimed suddenly, pointing behind her. She turned, and saw a tall young man with long golden hair. He had long pointed ears, longer than a Hylian's, and a very distinct feature that set him apart from the rest of the crowd:

Two huge white wings extended from his shoulder blades.

"Is that an Azek?" Ilia whispered.

"I think so," Link replied, "They're almost unheard of around Hyrule, so a lot of people think they're just myths."

"Wow," Ilia breathed, watching him browse through a nearby stall, "His wings are beautiful!"

The Azek left the stall and began to walk toward the table Ilia and Link sat at. His skin was as pale as his wings. As he passed, he said, "You do know that it is impolite to point and stare, correct?" His voice was calm, but icy, and it gave Link chills.

"…That was creepy," said Ilia a few minutes after the Azek had passed.

"Yeah, it's like he was psychic!" Link replied in low tones.

"Well, we should probably get back," Ilia stated, glancing at the large clock mounted on the front of the Town Hall.

" 'Kay, let's go."

====Scene 3====

Twenty minutes had passed, and the two were on Milk Road, chatting about the day's events.

"Wow, did Orca really do that to you?" Ilia was asking.

"Yeah," Link laughed, "I thought I'd have a heart attack!"

"Well, it must have been because he—uh, Link?" she stopped when she noticed he was staring towards the farm with an expression of mild horror pasted on his face.

"L-Look…" Link whispered. Ilia followed his gaze. The first gate, which signalled that the ranch was coming up soon, had been smashed to pieces.

"Oh my god!" Ilia yelled, and started running, past the rubble of the gate, towards the farm.

"Ilia!" Link shouted, chasing her. The second gate right outside the farm was broken too. Link wondered what could have smashed it; this one was metal, unlike the other wooden one.

The farmhouse door was swinging loosely on its hinges.

"Daddy!!" Ilia shrieked, running inside the house. The furniture was scattered, as if a fight had occurred right in the kitchen. The house was eerily silent.

"Romani!! Cremia!!" Ilia screamed, beginning to panic. She ran to the cow barn. No one there. The goat barn was empty: half the goats were gone. Ilia finally found her father in the stables. Cremia was lying on the ground, unconscious. Talon had a wet cloth on her forehead; Ilia could see the scarlet bllodstains both on the cloth and Cremia's clothing.

"What happened!?" Ilia sobbed, kneeling beside Cremia.

"Monsters…" Talon said solemnly, "They came right in and started eating the goats. Cremia tried to get them out, but they attacked her. Then they went after me in the kitchen."

"Where's Romani??" Ilia asked frantically.

"They… took her…" Talon said, tears beginning to drip from his once jolly eyes.

Ilia let out a small scream, and clapped her hands over her mouth.

"Wh-what happened?" Link cried, rushing into the barn. He stopped immediately when he saw Cremia's injuries.

Malon, Ilia's mother, had died in a monster attack, similar to this one. Link's parents were also at the farm, as the two families were old friends. Link's parents perished the same day as Malon, and Link was 'adopted' by Talon. Link felt as close to the farm girls as a boy to his sisters. Link felt the shock of this attack on the same level as Ilia.

"Th-they stole Romani," Ilia cried, getting up and clasping Link. She sobbed into his shirt.

"Do you know where?" asked Link quietly.

"If I had to guess, I would say the mountains…" said Talon.

Suddenly, Cremia screamed, scaring the others out of their skins.

--==--==--

Chapter 2 finally finished (sorry for the wait: exams are really taking up my time).

OC check:

**Orca**: Link's self-defence / sword fighting sensei. He is honest and honourable, and a very good teacher to Link.

**Kasheri**: A Zora merchant. She is bright and cheerful.

Chapter three will see the beginning of the first 'dungeon', so it'll be up whenever I get there.

~Fifteen Skies


	3. Act 1 Chapter 3

Disclaimers: I only own my storylines.

==Act 1==

===Chapter 3===

====Scene 1====

Deep in the Northern Woods, a troop of Bulblins glided through the night. They had a small cart pulled along by their Bullbos. A small yellow light could be seen glowing from the barred window.

Inside the cart sat a small girl. She had long, pale, cornsilk hair, and wore clothes of entirely forest green. She clutched a small emerald necklace, and her tears stained her ragged sleeves. Her head was bent over, as the roof of the cart was low. Her only light was the short candle on the floor in front of her. The girl began to feel weak, an she instantly knew the cart had left the forest.

The Bulblins had committed a terrible sin. They had kidnapped a child of the forest.

They had captured a Kokiri.

The Kokiri girl looked up as she heard a tinkling noise in front of her. A small blue orb floated in the small space.

"Valee..." she mumbled, "Where are we...?"

"We are in the Hyrule Field," a small voice replied from inside the fluttering orb. The Kokiri moaned.

"Do not lose hope, Airas!" squeaked the fairy, "I can go search for help!"

Airas the Kokiri nodded. "Find the youth who wears the green clothing similar to that of the Kokiri tribe. He is the one chosen by the gods..." her voice trailed. She coughed a deep, raspy cough that shook her small body.

"I will do as you wish, Airas! Do not lose hope!" cried Valee, and she fluttered out the barred window, leaving a faint trail of blue sparkles. As the hours passed, Airas the Kokiri slowly faded into unconsciousness.

====Scene 2====

Cremia's screaming scared Link, Ilia, and Talon out of their skins. Her wailing wasn't completely understandable, but Link could pick out the words 'Outset', 'Romani', and 'Bulblin'. She stopped a few seconds later, leaving the stables eerily silent.

"We have to go to Outset Mountains..." Ilia whispered through her tears.

"We can't just scale the mountains!" Link said softly, "We'd be killed!"

"Well then we need a weapon!!" Ilia cried, "But we have to save Romani!!"

"A weapon..." said Link thoughtfully. He glanced down to Talon, attempting so hard to revive his daughter.

"Sensei Orca!" Link blurted suddenly.

"Of course!!" cried Ilia, and the two ran towards the town.

"Be careful!!" Talon bellowed after them.

====Scene 3====

"Sensei!!" Link yelled, pounding on Orca's door. Ilia stood beside him, quivering, as if each second Romani was in custody was a separate stab to her essence.

"What do you-- oh, Link!" Orca said, opening the door, "What are you doing here!?"

"Sensei, this is my friend Ilia," Link gestured to the girl beside him, "Her younger sister was captured by monsters, and we need weapons and shields to save her."

"Saving her would probably require scaling the mountains..." Orca mumbled, "Come inside; we have no time to waste!"

The trio went straight to the dojo, and Orca surveyed all of his swords. He took two swords and two small shields from the wall and carefully handed them to the youths.

"Uh-oh," said Link, realizing something, "Ilia doesn't know how to fight!"

"Crap, you're right," whispered Ilia.

"Sensei, could you teach Ilia the basics?" Link asked, "As quickly as possible?"

"Okay. Ilia, stand here, in the centre ring," Orca instructed.

He taught her the forward slice, the horizontal slice, the jump attack, and the spin attack. Within fifteen minutes, she was ready to go to the mountains.

====Scene 4====

The path to Outset Mountains branched off from the beginning of Milk Road. After turning left, it took only a few minutes before the mountains came into view. Two oddly bent forms rose out of the horizon, swelling quickly above the trees of the pine woods bordering the town. Common rumours and legends told of evil in the caves at the summit, and the inhabitants of Market Town and the surrounding area avoided this place at all costs.

"Don't run, Ilia!" Link called, "Save your energy for the climb!" Link knew that the monsters probably would've taken her to the caves at the summit, and getting there wouldn't be an easy task.

"Link!" Ilia cried, "Come quick!!"

"What is it??" he yelled, and ran up to where Ilia was kneeling at the edge of the path. From the bushes could be seen a small blue glow. Ilia parted the leaves to reveal a blue fairy!

"A fairy!" she breathed. She gently prodded the orb, and it's wings fluttered to life, but it didn't seem to have the energy to lift off of the leaves.

"Are you okay?" Link asked.

"Wh-where am I...?" a small voice squeaked from the centre of the orb.

"We're close to the Outset Mountains," said Ilia, "You were unconscious in the leaves at the side of the path."

The fairy moaned a soft, high-pitched wail. It tried to fly off the leaves, but fell back down after gaining mere inches of height.

"Would you like help?" Ilia asked the fairy. She interpreted the little jingle as a 'yes'. She gingerly scooped the creature off the leaf into her hands. "What's your name?" she inquired pleasantly.

"I'm Valee..." she gasped, "And I've been told to look for the youth in green clothes." Ilia looked at Link. He shrugged.

"I'm Ilia, and this is Link. Would you like to come with us?" asked Ilia, "You might see the one you're looking for."

"Might as well…" said the fairy thoughtfully.

"Come on," said Link, "We don't have any time to loose." Ilia carefully put the fairy into a large pouch attached to her belt, the fairy jingled in agreement, and they set off.

A few minutes later, they were at the foot of the mountains, the oddly shaped peaks stretching up in front of them. Ilia's heart was racing.

"We have to climb that?" she cried.

A jingle in the pouch caught her attention, and she lifted the flap to reveal Valee fluttering around.

"I can fly again!" she squeaked, and up flew around Ilia's head.

"Good for you!" laughed Ilia.

"Oh my…" whined Valee, "This is Outset Mountains, isn't it…"

Link nodded.

"There is a great evil at the summit of these mountains… Monsters are said to kidnap people and bring them to the summit where they eat them…"

"Eat them!?" Ilia screamed, "Link, let's hurry!!" She ran up to the base where a path was marked out by crushed grass.

"Ilia!" Link yelled, running after here. The fairy followed him. "Slow down!!" he called, "Don't waste your energy!"

Ilia began to slow down. Despite Link's intentions, though, it was still a long and tiring climb.

A few minutes later, Ilia cried out. A monster had appeared right in front of her!

"Oh no! A bulblin!" Valee cried, "They strong, Ilia, but they're stupid! Try attacking its back!"

Ilia leapt around behind the monster and swung her unsheathed sword at its back. She hopped back towards the mountain, as combat on the narrow path was not such a good idea. The monster fell down and exploded into purple smoke.

"Oh my god…" Ilia panted, "What was that with the smoke?"

"It means you've killed it!" cried Valee, "Good job Ilia!"

As they continued up the mountain, Link noticed how the grass was slowly being replaced with dirt and rock. He looked down, and the height was dizzying. They were very high up.

The path Ilia and Link were travelling on spiralled around the mountain, slowly rising upward. Every time they passed onto the northwest side, they could see the ranch, and the town was visible from the northeast side.

The higher they went up the mountain, the more monsters appeared, until they'd both killed dozens of them.

"I think we're here," said Link, the first word spoken in over twenty minutes. Ilia looked up, and saw a dark cave looming a few feet away.

"I guess so," she breathed. Even Valee seemed nervous; her wings weren't beating as fast and the blue dust had stobbed falling from the orb. Ilia suddenly seemed to gain confidence. "There's only one way to save my sister, and going in there is it!"

==Scene 5==

The cavern atop East Outset Mountain dark and desolate. The trio entered, following a long corridor that seemed to lead higher up the mountain. The only light seemed to be Valee's bright orb, which illumiated a good amount of the immediate room. The caverns were also cold; Ilia couldn't stop shivering.

The first real room they entered in the cave was large and empty. A large portion of the room was elevted onto a rocky ledge. On the ledge were two burnt-out torches. The door on across from them had a large brass lock on it.

"Great! Now what?" asked Link, rather loudly. Valee flew over to the two torches. Ilia could still see a little smoke wafting from the smouldering ashes.

"There's someone in here with us" squeaked Valee, "The ashes here are still warm!"

"Maybe we should light the torches?" Ilia mused, "But how...?" She began to walk around the edges of the room. Valee followed her to give her light. Ilia stopped at the big locked door, and inspected the lock. She then continued, running her hand along the smooth rock walls. Suddenly, she stopped.

"I've found it!" she cried, "There's a crack in the wall here!" She pushed the part of the wall, and it slid out slowly and crashed to the ground, the loud noise echoing painfully through the cavern. Inside the new gap in the wall, light poured in, making the cavern as bright as day. Ilia, squinting, peered in to see another hallway. "Shall we?" she asked.

The two (plus Valee) cautiously headed down the tunnel; Link had to stoop a little to accomodate the low ceiling. This corridor was much shorter than the one at from the entrance, and soon they came upon another cavern. Inside was a burning torch, and a pot holding three long sticks.

"If we can bring a burning stick back to the other torches," said Link thoughtfully, "We could see the room much better." Ilia nodded.

"Wait, do you here that?" Valee asked. Ilia listened carefully. Very faintly, see could here an odd noise that sounded like 'DA-da Da-da DA-da' over and over.

"What is that?" she asked. The noise got louder, and Link exclaimed that he could here it too.

Suddenly, a dozen little goblin-like beasts burst into the cavern. Ilia screamed.

"Miniblins!!" cried Valee, "Quick, kill them before more come!"

Ilia and Link both drew their swords. They tried to slice the Miniblins, but the little gremlins were too quick.

"I can't... hit them..." Link panted after a few minutes.

"Is it just me... or are there more now...?" Ilia cried. She was right: the goblins had doubled in numbers.

"Ilia! Spin attack!" Link cried. They both used Orca's powerful move, and the countless puffs of violet smoke told them that it had worked. They rested for only a few seconds before Link promptly lit one of the sticks with the torch.

"Come on," he said. They set off back the way they came. They reached the large chamber quickly, but the flame on Link's pole burnt out. He swore under his breath. "We have to go back."

They wordlessly backtracked, and Ilia lit a pole this time. As she was shorter, she didn't have to duck through the tunnel, giving her a little extra speed.

Ilia made it back with the flame successfully, and lit the first torch just before her flame went out. She re-lit the pole, and added flame to the second torch. The room suddenly brightened, almost abnormally. To her shock, Ilia watched as light rays from the torches came together at the centre of the raised area, and created a moderately sized wooden chest with iron bracings. Link cautiously stepped forward, and lifted the chest open. The only thing inside was a small silver key.

"That's it," he said flatly.

"Do you think it'll work on that big lock?" asked Valee. Link shrugged, and walked over to the lock, and, as he turned the key, the lock and chains fell off the doorin a large heap of metal. Link pushed. Nothing happened. He then tried pushing the door sideways, and it slid into the wall, revealing another passageway. This time, though, they could see the end of it.

The third chamber they came into was very spacious, like the first room, but it was bright. Multiple burning torches were hung at regular intervals along the circular wall.

The first thing Link did was to take a torch from it's iron brace in the wall. "We may need it," he said. Ilia nodded.

This room didn't seem to have any doors leading out from it. In the centre of the room was a stalagmite that had grown so tall it touched the cieling, creating a pillar.

"Don't tell me this is a dead end," cried Ilia. Her worry for Romani was starting to build up in her again, which was causing her to start panicing.

"Hey, look," exclaimed Link, "One of the torches isn't lit!"

"There's a second one," Ilia added, thoughtfully.

"I'm gonna try lighting them," said Link, transferring fire from his torch to the unlit one on the wall. He then moved to the other side of the room, and lit the other torch. There was a rumbling sound, and a loud crash as a section of the floor beside the pillar caved in. Ilia peered down the hole; she could see another cavern beneath them, and a sad excuse for a rope ladder to get there.

Link climbed down the rope ladder first, Ilia quickly following. As Ilia hopped off the ladder, they were greeted by bulblins. The small swarm was quickly dispatched, and the two continued into the next cavern.

The next cavern held no visible puzzle; it was just a large grey cavern. Unfortunately, the door held a massive lock. Ilia scanned the room, and saw literally nothing in the room except two mouse holes in the wall.

"Now what?" she cried. She then let out a small yelp when a mouse dashed out of a hole in the wall, across the room, and into the other hole.

"Did you see that?" Link cried excitedly, "The mouse had a key!"

"Oh god..." she moaned, "We have to catch a mouse..."

"Those aren't just mice," said Valee, "They're bombchus! They sometime carry small bombs, so watch out!" At this comment, Ilia froze.

"No" she said flatly, "I hate this!"

"Ilia! Ilia!" Link said, grabbing her shoulder, "Do it for Romani!" Ilia quickly composed herself. They quickly came up with the idea that each of them would guard a hole and wait for the key-bearing mouse. Ilia had her sword drawn.

"Mouse!" shouted Link, as one of the beasts ran from the hole. He dove for it, but it got into the opposite hole before Ilia could hit it.

"It didn't have the key..." said Ilia. Another mouse ran from the hole near Ilia. "It's got a bomb!" she shrieked. There was an explosion and smoke quickly filled the cavern.

"Are you okay?" Link asked, helping her up.

"Y-yeah." Ilia replied.

A third mouse ran from the hole Link was supposed to be guarding.

"It's got the key!!" Valee cried. Link jumped for it, and grabbed it by the tail. It wriggled free and Ilia, panicking, brought her sword down on it, and there was a puff of smoke and the key clattered to the stone floor.

"Farore above..." Ilia sighed under her breath. she picked up the silver key and was about to unlock the door when Valee decided to speak.

"I sense something very wrong in there..." said the fairy. Ilia glanced to Link, who shrugged. The took a deep breath, and unlocked the door. A long dark hallway greeted them, lit seldomely by small burning torches.

"I wish I hadn't left that torch behind..." grumbled Link. He took another torch off the wall, and started off down the corridor, followed closely by Ilia. The ominous silence was almost unbearable, but they reached the next door quickly.

"Somthing tells me... this is it..." whispered Ilia. She slid open the door.

The next cavern was huge, much bigger than any of the others. It was lit with massive braziers, and the orangle light was harsh, scaping the shadows away from every corner. It was littered with rocky mounds and stalagmites. In the back, Ilia could see a small form. She ran up to it, and it looked like a bag. Something moved inside and sound came out. Ilia untied it, and Romani jumped out!

"Ilia!!" she cried, hugging her sister. Tears were flooding her eyes.

Before Ilia could reply, the sound of hundreds of stomping feet came to her. Hundreds of bulblins burst into the room.

Romani screamed.

---------------------

A/N: It's finally done!! This chapter was taking me forever (and I dread writing about the more advanced dungeons). I've just started a new semester, and I'm completely bogged down with schoolwork. Just so you know, the Bulblin Swarm is the equivalent to a mini boss.

OC Check

**Airas**: A Kokiri girl who was kidnapped by Bulblins for unknown reasons. What do they want from her?

**Valee**: Airas's fairy. She left to find help, but wound up with Link. Will she be able to save her partner?


	4. Act 1 Chapter 4

Disclaimers: If I owned Zelda, you wouldn't be reading this, you'd be playing it.

==Act 1==

===Chapter 4===

====Scene 1====

Hundreds of Bulblins poured into the cavern. Link readied his sword, and instantly dispatched a few of the beasts, but it didn't scratch their offence. They flowed around Link and Ilia, and snatched a shrieking Romani, and started carrying her toward the door. Ilia dove toward her sister, stabbing the Bulblins carrying her. These monsters seemed weaker than the ones outside, but their strength laid in sheer numbers.

The Bulblins under Romani died instantly, dropping the poor girl to the ground. Link and Ilia stood on either side of her, slashing and swiping at the monsters. They fell in masses, but there didn't seem to be a change in numbers.

"We have to find where they're coming from!" shouted Ilia, over the grunts of Bulblins, the shriek of Romani, and the echoing of all these sounds.

"You guard Romani!" Link replied, and cleared a path for himself by hacking beasts down. Left and right, there seemed to be just more and more Bulblins.

On the other end of the room, Ilia was panicking. Romani had been grabbed again, and Ilia was in the process of saving her. When Romani was safe, Ilia leaped on a Bulblin and forced the club out of it's hand. She handed the weapon to Romani, who took it and swiped blindly at the Bulblins ahead of her.

Link noticed a soft humming sound ahead of him. He slashed madly ahead of him, and saw a glowing amber orb. _Why would something like this be in here?_ he thought. A Bulblin charged at him, and he killed it. The humming swelled, and another Bulblin materialized from the crystal. Link, realizing why there were so many, slashed madly at the crystal. One hit, two, three, four, and the fifth hit shattered it. The humming stopped, and the Bulblins all dissolved.

Ilia was in the process of slashing a Bulblin when it disappeared before her eyes. The club Romani was holding dissolved too. The room was utterly empty except for the rocky mounds and amber glass in the corner. The silence was ominous.

"Now what?" asked Romani. Ilia let out a nervous laugh.

"I guess we go back..." said Link. Romani nodded. They left the large cavern and headed back down the dimly lit hall and into the mouse cavern. Romani stopped.

"What's wrong?" asked Ilia. Romani, trembling, pointed ahead of her. There was a Bulblin. Link jumped forward and cut it down, and went back to Romani.

"You okay?" he asked. The girl nodded.

---------Author's Note---------

The puzzle I'm imagining here is that, on your minimap, you see five or so red dots circling the dungeon. These dots are Bulblins, and if Romani is in the same room as one, she'll stop, and won't move again until the monster is killed. Then you have to go back to her and fetch her.

When you kill a Bulblin, a new one spawns in the miniboss room. You basically have to get out of the dungeon with Romani behind you.

----------End Author Note-------

They scaled the ladder and entered the bright room. Link noticed that the torch he had taken off the wall had been replaced.

They kept walking, and just after they entered the room with two torches, Ilia stopped.

"Where's Romani?" she asked. She turned and went back to the bright room, and saw another Bulblin advancing on Romani, who seemed to be paralysed with fear. Ilia dove at the monster, running it through and killing it.

"Th-thanks," the girl stuttered. Ilia just nodded and returned to Link with her sister in tow.

"We should get out of here soon," said Ilia, fearing for Romani's safety. Link nodded.

Just as they were leaving, a huge crash resounded through the room. Link turned to see a massive, armored, sickly green Bulblin with massive uneven horns holding a battle axe.

"Ilia, said Link, "Get her out of here."

"Be careful..." she said, and then turned and left the dungeon.

"The bulblin's king..." said Valee.

::. Boss Battle - Armoured Warlord: King Bulblin .::

The huge monster began to advance on Link, who moved backward equally as fast, making sure to always keep his gaze locked on the enemy. It swung it's axe at him, and he rolled to the side, narrowly escaping the blade.

The axe seemed to be jammed into the rock. Link took this opportunity to run up to the boss and slash at it, but his sword clanged ineffectively off the armour.

"Link!" shouted Valee, "There's an open spot down it's back!"

Link was about to run toward the back, but the axe suddenly pulled free, and almost caught his head if he hadn't ducked under the circular slash.

_I can only attack it when it's axe is stuck_ Link thought. He ran to the other end of the room, the giant Bulblin lumbering toward him. Link hopped onto the torch platform and took one, still burning, and hurled it. Th torch hit the boss's armour with a _hssss_, and the plates of armour had melted slightly, hindering it's movement.

Link let it get closer now, hoping it would attempt to bring the axe down on him. It did, and Link rolled away again, and ran around to the other side of it. He saw the open spot, just as Valee had said, and slashed it once, twice, three times. With each slash, the beast roared in pain.

The axe became unstuck again, and Link hurled the other torch. It hit the armour, knocking some off. He dove forward, pointing the sword straight toward the gap in armour. It hooked under the remaining plates, and with a _crack!_ They tore off. The beast roared in anger, and began to glow red.

Link cursed under his breath.

::. King Bulblin – Stage Two .::

All of it's movements seemed twice as fast in this rage. Link had barely enough time to dodge the attacks before a new one came his way.

Finally, after a few minutes of intense dodging, the boss swung it's axe. Link, knowing it would detach faster now, dashed around behind the hulking green mass and slashed the back once, twice, three times. The beast roared and fell over, seemingly dead. The puff of purple smoke confirmed this.

Link noticed the axe still remained. Before his eyes, it shrunk smaller and the dull rusty coating vanished to be replaced with a golden sheen. Panting, he picked it up.

.::. Item – Golden Axe .::.

Link staggered out of the cavern, and though he had only been inside the dungeon for forty-five minutes, it felt like forever since he'd seen the sun.

====Scene 2====

"Link!" came a shout. Link glanced around and saw Romani and Ilia on the peak of the other mountain. To his surprise, there was now a rope bridge leading to the other summit. He crossed it carefully, and soon came to the girls.

The top of the other mountain was flat and wide, covered with a small but dense forest.

"Since when was this here?" he panted.

"Since a few minutes ago," exclaimed Romani.

"Strange..." said Link thoughtfully.

"There's a fountain in the centre," said Ilia, "Want to see?"

"Sure."

The trio walked into the tree line to be confronted with a crystal clear spring. The 'forest' tuned out o be just a ring of trees closely packed together to hide this spring.

Link dipped his hands in it. It was cold, but a pleasant chill.

A humming sound stopped him. He glanced up to see a swirling emerald mist above the water.

"Link..." came a beautiful feminine voice. It seemed to be all around him. "You have cleansed the sacred shrine of Farore..."

From inside the mist, a figure formed. It was a woman, with shoulder length emerald hair, and a matching dress. In her hair laid two delicate pink flowers, and her eyes were a shade that could only be described as Emerald Fire. Between her hand floated a large grass-green orb.

"Link," said the woman. Her voice was young and clear, "I am the goddess Farore." Hearing this, Link, Ilia, and Romani kneeled to their goddess.

"You may rise," she said, a twinkle in her eyes, "Link, you are the chosen Hero of the Golden Age of Hyrule. You are the direct descendant of the famed Hero of Time, and are destined for greatness."

"Th-there has to be a mistake!" Link exclaimed, "I can't be a hero! I'm just a farm hand!"

"That's all you are now," said Farore, smiling, "But soon you shall realize your true potential. Take this gift, my friend, as a token from your ancestor."

The emerald mist surrounded Link. There was a flash, and when the brightness cleared, Link was wearing a green tunic, leather boots, and a long green hat.

"Wh-wha-?" he stuttered.

"These are the clothes that will identify your stautus on the journeys to come. Wear them with pride!"

"Well, I'm not wearing the hat!" he said, taking it off. Farore laughed.

"As you will, Hero of the Golden Age," she said, "But I suggest you travel northeast to your next adventure in the home of the Gorons. Do not worry about the Forest child yet."

With that, Farore disappeared, the light from her orb fading last. The trio stood in silence for a moment until Valee broke the silence.

"You!!" she cried in joy, "You must be the one I was sent to find! I remember it all now!!"

"Remember what??" asked Link.

"My master, the Kokiri Airas, was kidnapped by the Bulblins. She asked me to find you for help!"

"Well," said Ilia, "Farore said not to worry about the Kokiri yet. Could she mean Airas?"

"Most likely," Link replied.

"...We should go back to the farm," said Romani.

As they walked back down the mountain, they didn't notice a tall, blue-skinned girl watching them from the shadows.

====Scene 3====

Rmani put her finger to her lips as she tip-toed up to the barn where Talon and Cremia had been. She peered inside to see the two with their backs turned. She ran up and leapt on her father's back.

He yelled, then fell over laughing.

"Oh my god!" Cremia cried. She hugged Romani, sobbing.

"I'm okay!" she cried, "But guess who we saw!"

Link and Ilia came in; Cremia stared in curiosity at his new garments.

"We'll explain everything," Link laughed after catching Cremia's gaze, upon which she blushed and turned away.

For an hour, Romani told the exaggerated story of her valiant attle with the Bulblin's king, and how they were blessed by the goddesses for their bravery. The five of them laughed through the evening.

==End of Act 1==

Finished!!! The battle was fun to write, thinking up the attacks, moves, and weaknesses on the fly. BUT I'm not looking forward to the next dungeon! How do you think of my interperetation of Farore?


	5. Act 2 Chapter 5

Disclaimer: My story, not my games.

==Act 2==

===Chapter 5===

====Scene 1====

The air was filled with the thin, blue-grey mist of dawn. The sky was blanketed in a thick sheet of clouds that transformed it into and endless expanse of pale grey, signalling a coming rain.

Ilia and Link stood on the border of the Fields Province and the Elloraffe Woods, the province directly to the east.

"I'll miss you, Link," Ilia was saying.

"I'll be okay," he replied, "And when I get back, I'll tell you every detail."

"I wish I could come with you," he sighed, "But I have a sister to take care of, and a farm to run."

"We'll each do our jobs well," Link said, hugging her close, "And when I'm done, I will take you anywhere in Hyrule. I promise."

Ilia laughed, and rested her head on his shoulder, "Okay."

"Bye, Ilia," said Link, turning.

"Bye, Link!" she called after him, as he walked down the dirt path into the woods. The small fairy Valee floated along behind him.

Whet Link didn't see, though, was the small tear that rolled down Ilia's cheek.

====Scene 2====

"So, where to?" Link asked casually as he walked through the woods. The trees were tall and lush, and sunny days would fill the forest floor with warm green and yellow sunlight. Today, however, the forest was cold and sunless.

"Well, I think we should go to the capital, Castle Town," Valee replied.

"No, I mean, what are we looking for?" he asked, "What do we need to do?"

Valee obviously didn't know.

"It's not like we can ask anyone about it, though," said Link, "I mean, who would believe 'Hi, I'm the hero sent by the goddess. What do I do?' I mean, come on!"

"Oh!" Valee cried suddenly, "We could go to the fairy spring and ask the great fairy of Ordona!"

"Ordona?" Link asked, "Wasn't that a village 300 years ago?"

"Yep!" the fairy replied excitedly, "The village is gone, but the fairy spring remains."

"Might as well," said Link.

They continued moving through the woods, more east now than north, toward the location of the spring, Ordona Field, the southern most area of the massive Hyrule Fields. The travel was uneventful, until...

"Aah!" Link cried as a flower in front of him burst up into a giant purple mouth-like thing.

"Deku Baba!" Valee cried, "Link! Cut the stalk under the head!"

"O-okay!" Link yelled. He slashed at the 'neck', but the flower kept deflecting the blows with it's 'teeth'. It snapped out at him, biting his hand. Link cursed in Hylian. He slashed again, and hit the side of the 'head'. The flower stiffened, and Link slashed the neck. The head went flying, and the base instantly withered and died.

They kept walking, Link now keeping an eye out for man eating flowers, when a new threat attacked.

It was a blue goblin, rising up just under Link's shoulder. It had white spines on the top of the head, and it wore a simple loincloth. The goblin held a club.

"What's this one, Valee?" Link asked.

"A Bokoblin! They're even dumber than Bulblins, so just beat it down!"

"I think I'll try my axe on it," said Link, rolling to avoid a blow from the club. He exchanged weapons, and then swung the Golden Axe down on the Bokoblin. He killed it in one hit.

"Nice!" cried Valee. However, another new enemy was coming up behind them.

"Watch out!" she suddenly cried. Link whirled to see a black creature with red tattoos advancing on him. It wore a black Iron mask, and had tentacles hanging down from under it. It was barely humanoid, and walked on it's knuckles.

It lashed out at Link, who dodged. Almost instantly, another blow came from beside him. He got up and swung, but the sword clattered harmlessly off the mask.

A second one came.

Link lunged forward, piercing the skin of the first creature, killing it. Instead of exploding, though, it fell over. The second emitted a shriek, resurrecting the first.

"What is this, Valee!?" Link yelled.

"I-I don't know!" the fairy panicked.

"They are Shadow Beasts," came a calm, icy, female voice from between the trees. Link only had enough time to glance toward the voice at see the shape of a girl before another blow came at him.

"Kill both at once," said the girl, "With a spinning technique."

Link nodded. He whipped out the sword, and, after hesitating for a moment, spun, striking both Beasts at once. They fell over and disintegrated, their red tattoos floating into the sky.

"Good job," said the girl. Link got a good look at her this time. She had pale blue-white skin with black swirling tattoos up her bare arms, and strange yellow-orange eyes. Her long blonde hair fell down her back, but her long bangs were pulled behind her outlandishly pointed ears, and fell over her shoulders, and were tied into one over her chest.

Her clothes were what caught Link's attention. She wore a fur-lined robe that fell to the ground, but opened up over her knees, revealling tall black boots with heels so high that her foot was almost vertical. She also carried a large, old-looking brown book.

"So, said Link, "Can I ask your name?"

"You may as well, seeing as I can predict yours..." she said, her voice maintaining it's icy cap, "I am the mage Midna. You are the hero, Link."

"W-wait, what?" Link sputtered , "How do you know my name??"

"Your garments," said Midna, "They are only worn by Farore's hero, and none other."

"I guess we've found one who knows what we should do," said Valee, brightly.

"Well, now that you know what I'm doing," Link asked, "Can I ask what _you're_ up to?"

"The elders of my city have predicted calamity in the form of a rogue sorceror," said Midna, "And I seek to stop him."

"Well," Link began to admit, "I really don't know what _my_ quest is supposed to be, yet, so this fairy and I are travelling to the Ordona spring to seek, uh, guidance."

"I see..." said Midna. After a few moments of thought, she stated, "I will come with you. We may be able to help each other."

"Sounds as good a plan as any," said Link.

The two (well, three if you count Valee) continued to walk though the woods, and they talked as they went. Link told Midna about Market Town and Ilia, and she told him of the Twili race, the Twilight Realm, and her lover, Xante. When Link began about the Outset Mountain adventure, Midna's intrest suddenly caught.

"So it was you..." she mused quietly, "The one who lberated the peaks..."

"What do you mean?" Link asked.

"I watched you enter the forest with two girls..." Midna responded, "I took this spellbook," she signalled to the large book she held, "from the second summit. Your victory over the Bulblins combined with the removal of the book released the Mountains and the spring of Farore."

"Oh..." said Link, thinking rapidly, "What is the book, anyway?"

"It is the sorceror's spellbook," Midna replied, "It is one of three items I need to force him out of hiding so I may vanquish him, once and for all."

Link just let that soak in as they walked. A few minutes later, Link felt a tug at his tunic. Expecting another monster, he laid his hand on his sword and turned, but it was no monster at all! It was a small child, wearing clothes similar to his!

"Mister?" said the child, "Have you seen a Kokiri boy around here?"

"No I haven't. What does he look like?"

"He wears a tunic and has blond hair, like yours," she said, "Could you help me find him?"

Link glanced to Midna, who shrugged.

"Of course we could help you, Laina!" cried Valee.

"Valee! You're safe!" Laina cried, "But where's Airas?"

"Still captured," said Valee, sadly, "But Link and I are going to save her!"

"Link...?" Laina thought, out loud, "A hero! You can find Rinku easily, then!" Link laughed.

"Allow me," said Mina coolly. She muttered something in a language Link didn't understand. Her hands began to glow black and purple, and she closed her eyes.

"I see him!" she said suddenly, "Follow me!" She took off at a run, and Link, Laina, her fairy, and Valee all raced to keep up. They ran through the trees, dodging obstacles. Link was amazed at how fast and agile Laina was, and he watched her long red hair mark the path she ran, creating a ribbon-like trail.

Midna suddenly stopped. Laina halted easily, but Link skidded a bit.

"Is he here?" Laina asked. Midna held up a gesture that signalled to them for silence. She stepped forward, her hands glowing blue this time. She swiped downward, killed a Deku Baba before it even had a chance to strike. A circle of larger red ones rose up, and Midna yelled in surprise. Link leapt forward and sliced the head off of one. The head bounced down and still snapped at him, and bit his leg.

"Aargh!" he yelled in pain. He stabbed his sword downward, piercing the head and killing it.

"Deku Serpents!" Laina's fairy wailed, "Burn them so they can't hurt you!"

Midna's hand glowed red now, and she grabbed a Deku Serpent by the neck. It caught fire and whithered, dead. She burned the other three, and once they were all gone, a blue glow caught their atention. A nearby tree suddenly dissolved, and a blond Kokiri fell out.

"Rinku!" Laina yelled, "What happened? Are you okay?"

Gasping, Rinku stood up, "I chased... the monsters... that took Airas..." he panted, "But they locked me in that tree..."

Laina ducked down and put his arm over her shoulder, helping him stand. "You're fairy misses you!" she said. Rinku laughed. "I'll take him back," she said, to Link this time, "Thank you, hero!"

Link, Midna, and Valee kept moving. The occasional monster appeared, but it was an uneventul journey. After an hour, though, the tress cleared...

====Scene 3====

It was an immense clearing. A small brook bubbled through the middle, and there was a hill on the southern end. Through the small field were scattered rocks, and old stone foundations, with rotting beams, all that remained of once-standing houses.

"So this is Ordona Field?" Link asked. Midna nodded.

"The old village of Ordon once stood here, and these are it's remains. The spring is farther north."

They walked through the remains of the old village. It was very eerie, and the dark gray sky enhanced the effect. It seemed sad to see these old buildings. There was a smashed bridge farther up, that once crossed the brook. They eventually entered a narrow path through the rocks and came upon another, much smaller clearing. There was a great tree at one end, with the smashed remains of a dwelling.

"My great-grandmother told me about this place..." said Midna, breaking the eerie silence, "Another Link, also a hero, lived there, in the house above that tree, about... 300 Hylian years ago."

The creepy feeling of this house surpassed all of the others. He stopped for a minute, but then ran to catch up to Midna. He followed her through another narrow passage, this one lined with trees. A path seeme to be cleared, and soon, on the right, Link caught sight of two rusting, broken metal gates, encased in ivy. Though these gates was a beautiful fountain set back in the rock wall. The water poured down across the rocks, creating a bubbling noise, and into a large, shallow pond. The water was crystal-clear, and he could see the golden sand at the bottom of the pond, sparkling with stones and shells.

"This is the Ordona Spring," said Midna, "Once home to a demi-god known as a spirit of Light. There were once four of these spirits, placed through Hyrule. But those days are gone..."

"What happened?" Link asked, Midna's sadness clear as the water in the pond.

"The Twilight came, and overtook Hyule..." she said, "The Light stopped it once, 400 years ago, but they did not recover fast enough for the next attack, a century later. The spirits died, Link, and with them Hyrule's only defense against the Twilight. Worst of all, I fear the sorceror wants to bring the Twilight back again."

"So that means..." Link mused, his mind racing.

"If the Twilight returns," said Midna, speaking his thoughts, "Hyrule and it's people will be lost."

_...You have uncovered precisely what you must do..._ came a voice. It seemed to be in Link's head, but also floating on the air around him at the same time. Link looked back toward the spring, and a goden glowing shape was coming out of the rocks. Link gazed upon the Great Fairy in awe. Her feminie form was graceful, and yet haunting eerie, due to the absense of feet. Her skin was a dark, sparkling sapphire blue, and her eyes were jet black, reminding Link of the Zora girl, Kasheri. Around her slim form was a dress of emerald. wrapped around her shoulders and falling like a sheet elsewhere. Her hair was long and ruby red, flowing out behind her, even when no wind was present. To finish her enchanting appearance, a huge set of sparkling dragonfly wings were attached to her back, coming out through a gap in her dress.

"The Great Fairy..." Midna sighed. She seemed to be shielding her eyes from the fairy's radiance.

"Young Twili..." said the fairy. This time, Link was sure she said it, "You need not shield your eyes from my light if you are pure of heart..."

"I do not know how high my soul stands," said Midna, "Therefor, I do not risk it."

"Very well..." the fairy said, or rather, laughed, "You are the hero Link, are you not...?"

"I am," Link replied.

"You seek your goal...?" she asked. Link nodded. "Your path is filled with darkness and smothered light, which may be almost impossible to regain... You will face grave danger and formidable foes..."

"I don't like the sound of this..." Link mumbled.

"But you will also travel to many wonderful places, both inside and outside Hyrule..." the Fairy continued, "You will meet a colourful and wide vaiety of people in these places, and create valuable friendships that will not fade... Your next goal lies in freeing the curse over Death Mountain, the Goron's home. You must seek the help of a girl who strives for that goal, but for other reasons..."

"Death Mountain?" Midna cried suddenly, "That is where the staff of Night lies! That is my destination!"

"Then it seems as if you two should travel together..." the Fairy laughed, "And work together to achieve your goal...!"

"Many thanks, Great Fairy," Midna said, bowing. Link bowed too. They left the spring, and continued north into more forests, toward Hyrule Field and Death Mountain.

====Scene 4====

"Sooo..." said Link after fifteen minutes of silent walking through the woods, "Death Mountain is north from here, right?"

These woods were much more... uneventful than the previous. No monsters had attacked yet, which was probably a good thing, but it wasn't any fun. Earlier, they had passed a hollow rock formation, and Link recognized the shape as a fairy spring. It dried up long ago, probably hen it's Light Spirit died.

"Yes," Midna replied with an even tone, "And we have almost reached the Hyrule Field."

They passed through a clearing, holding nothing but the remains of a small house. There were rotting wooden gates ahead, which had been replaced with gates of iron; they had been broken. Through the gates, though...

Was spectacular.

The field stretched as far as Link could see, and farther. The edges he could see were bordered by owering cliffs and escarpents. The field consisted of rolling hills, the long grasses blowing and rippling in the winds that nurtured the landscape. Through these hills was a beaten dirt path, that had been used by countless peoples on their travels through the expanse. The path led over a small bridge, which arched above a bubling brook. It widened a few yards out into a shallow pond, with water almost as clear as the springs'. Long reeds graces the brook's edge, whistling in the breezes.

Every so often in the fields was a low plateau with a few trees; perfect shelter. In the distance Link could see a shape that just had to be Hyrule Castle, and beyond it, the faint outlines of mountains and cliffs.

"So we have to go all the way to those mountains?" Link asked, half excited for the adventure, and half fearful of the long walk.

"Not quite," Midna said with a slight grin, "Just enjoy the ride."

The clouds had finally parted, and the fields were blanketed in blue skies dotted with cotton clouds and long pale wisps.

Link, under a sdden urge, just had to run. He ran forward, over the hills, the wind blasting through his hair. He looked back momentarily to see Midna racing along behind him, Valee struggling to keep up. Midna eventually cut ahead of him, and they began to race each other. Link stumbled fell forward, hit Midna, and they both crashed into the grasses, laughing.

A commotion forced them to rise. It was another bulblin horde.

"Help!" came a scream from within the masses. Link caught a glimpse of a long pole.

Tied to it was a young girl!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Finally finished that b!tch of a chapter! Funfunfun.

Characters

Midna: A young woman from a mysterious race. She is cold and seemingly emotionless. That may change, though...

Laina: A kokiri girl. She is protective and motherly.

Rinku: A kokiri boy. He is hotheaded and doesn't think before he acts.

Expect the next chapter in, say, a month :/


	6. Act 2 Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I own the plot and a few characters. Nothing else.

==Act 2==

===Chapter 6 ===

====Scene 1====

"Midna! There's a girl there!" Link cried, seeing the young hostage tied to the Bulblins' pole.

"Might it be Airas?" Midna asked.

"It's not her…" said Valee, "But we may as well rescue her!" Link drew his sword. Midna used her witchcraft to activate an offensive spell, causing a blue aura to form around her hands. Link knew that this spell was a cutting attack.

The two leapt in, catching the Bulblins off guard. Midna's spell was equally as effective as Link's sword. The bulblins put up a good fight, but in the end Link and Midna won. The girl, whose pole was mounted on the now empty caravan, was carefully cut down by Link. He laid her on the ground, and gently shook her, trying to wake her.

The girl could not be any older than thirteen. She had long blonde hair, easily reaching her waist. When she was tied to the pole, Link had thought her hair was a yellow flag. Around the top of her head, she wore a small tiara constructed of small golden chain links. At the front, over her forehead, was a large red ruby. More chains hung down to her shoulders at regular intervals. These chains jingled as she moved.

Her face was round, and pale, with cherry red lips. She had long pointed Hylian ears. As she stirred slightly, Link caught a glimpse of deep, sapphire eyes. Judging by their width, they'd be rather large when opened. Her nose was small and dainty.

She wore a long, pale pink dress adorned with a golden belt. It had white designs around the shoulders. The sleeves once reached her wrists, but now they were torn and muddy. The same had happened right around her ankles. From the belt hung a royal blue cloth with white designs depicting a stylized bird carrying a triforce - the symbol of Hyrule. From the belt also hung a cloth pouch. It didn't match the rest of her attire.

"Uhh…" the girl moaned, waking up. Her voice was high and clear.

"Are you okay?" Link asked. Midna stood behind him, her arms crossed. Valee flitted nervously around them.

"Wh-where am I…?" the girl asked.

"Hyrule Field," said Link, "Bulblins had captured you."

"Are you…" she said as her eyes opened, "Link?"

"H-How do you know!?"

"I'm Zelda, Hyrule's princess!" she said brightly, sitting up, "And the hero with the green tunic is Link!"

"Everyone knows me…" Link muttered, with a mixture of pride and bitterness. _No,_ he thought, _They know the tunic, and the name, but they don't know __**me**_.

"What was that?" asked Valee, inquisitively.

"Hmm? Oh, nothing."

It turned out that Zelda had gotten bored with the palace rules and left. Her parents, the king and queen, _highly_ disapproved of this, but she did it anyway. Most times she was just brought back by the Hyrule guard, laughing and energetic from the chase involved. This time, however, she had gotten outside Castle Town without the guards seeing, and got lost. The monsters attacked her, and she was captured.

"Will you escort me back?" Zelda asked, "Mother and father will be overjoyed to see the Hero of Hyrule with me!" Link looked at Midna, who shrugged.

"Might as well," said Link. The girl grinned and cheered.

"You can see Castle Town there," said Zelda, pointing to the large dark obstruction on the horizon, "I didn't know I was this far out…"

They began to walk. The field was pretty, but uneventful. Somewhere along the way, Link's stomach growled.

"Uhh, I'm hungry…" he muttered. Zelda heard this.

"I have some bread in my pouch, if you want it!" she said brightly, pulling half a loaf of bread out. Link stared at her in disbelief. Bread? How far did she intend to run?

"You are prepared…" Midna mused, a hint of laughter in her voice.

"Very well, too!" Zelda laughed, "I also have a skin of water!"

Link could only stare. Here was a girl, only twelve or thirteen, and yet she was the second most respected woman in Hyrule (after the Queen, of course)! And this is how she acts!

"Are you okay, Link?" Zelda asked when she caught his gaze. Link quickly turned away.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

A few minutes later, Link heard a bird call. It sounded like a crow, only bigger.

"Did you hear that!?" Zelda cried. She whipped around a let out a yelp. Link and Midna turned, too. Circling the air above them was a huge bird with bat-like wings covered in fine feathers. It had royal blue plumage down the rest of it's body, and trailing yellow tails.

"Kargarok!" Zelda screamed. The bird began to fly lower, and swooped down at Link. He ducked.

"Uh-oh," Valee cried, "You don't have a bow!! How are you going to kill it!?"

"Like this," said Midna. She began to cast a spell when the Kargarok interrupted her by swooping down. It tore the black hood of her cape, revealing bright orange-yellow hair that tumbled to her waist. Midna swore in annoyance. She tried again. This time, she completed the spell, and a bolt of lightning pierced the bird. Purple smoke drifted from the spot, and a rain of blue and gold feathers poured down on them. Zelda reached up and caught one of the massive gold ones.

"These can get you a lot of Rupees in Castle Town!" said Zelda, "They're hard to get because Kargaroks are so dangerous."

Link bent down and picked up two more gold feathers. Midna picked up three. She undid the knot that held her hair in place in front of her, and began walking and fixing her hair. Link trailed behind, but Zelda ran up to see what Midna was doing.

"It's very pretty!" Zelda said.

"Thank you, princess," Midna replied.

"You should show Link. Hey Link, come look at this!"

Link caught up to the two girls to see how Midna had braided the feather into a lock of hair down the side of her face. The rest of her hair was pushed back behind her shoulders.

"Well?" Midna asked after Link had looked her over for a few minutes.

"It looks great!" he stuttered, speechless. To be truthful, Link found her gorgeous, but he didn't feel right saying that.

"It is customary for my people to wear Kargarok tail feathers," she said, "And as a right of passing, one must kill the Kargarok herself. Of course, the Kargaroks around my city have feathers of black and purple instead of blue and gold."

"It matches your hair and eyes" piped Zelda, "And looks good against your skin." Midna laughed.

The trio continued walking, talking about life where they came from. Zelda talked about how boring the castle was, and how she'd sneak to the kitchen to play with one of the servants, a boy around her age name Jerod. Midna spoke of the strange city of her origin, where it was always dark and the towers reached the clouds. Link talked of the farms and of Ilia and New Ordona. As they walked, the crossed the spectacular Lanayru Bridge.

"Wow!" breathed Link, staring over the edge. The great stone bridge crossed the massive canyon that once held an ancient Lake Hylia. Earthquakes had caused the Lake to 'move', but now the Zora's River owned the canyon, extending to the lake's new location.

"It's high, eh?" said Zelda, "The lake used to be down there, but it's not anymore. That's why the river is so wide there."

"You sure know your way around Hyrule," said Link.

"I read about it," said Zelda, "Because there's nothing else to do."

This passed the time quickly, and before they knew it, they had reached the small field outside the Castle Town gates.

This field had large patches of reeds, which swayed and whistled with the wind. Small groves of trees were dotted here and there. It was surrounded by rock walls, one of the few closed off places in the field it was a very inviting little spot, with warm sunlight illuminating it. No monsters in sight, either.

The gates were tall and iron attached to a stone wall that encircled the city. Around the stone wall were small opening at intervals, each holding a small lamp that was fixed in place. Link guessed that these would be lit at night. Through the gate was a long drawbridge, leading over a moat, with two tall, armoured guards on either side of a pair of large doors that probably led into the town.

"Come on!" Zelda cried, running down the drawbridge. "Sirs," she said, curtsying when she passed the two guards. Link and Midna followed.

====Scene 2====

The city was huge. A long cobblestone street led to a square where a multitude of people ran around, and the buzz of talk filled the air. Behind it Link could hear music. In the square was a tall, white marble fountain with an ornate statue of the Hyrule bird holding a golden triforce, spraying crystal clear water into the air.

As Link walked down the streets, vendors and merchants called to him to buy their wares. Link eventually gave into one of them, and bought a small bottle of red elixir. It was very refreshing, and made him feel energetic almost instantly. In the large square, Link was almost ploughed down by some children playing tag. There were even more people here, and it almost overwhelmed him. To the west was the street he was just on, and to the east and south lay other, similar streets. To the north, however, were stairs that led upwards onto a hill to stone gates. Beyond and above these gates was the magnificent Castle Hyrule, with its pristine white towers and gold and jade roofs.

"Come on!" called Zelda from the steps that led to the castle. Midna was ahead of him as well, but not as far ahead as Zelda. Midna looked back to Link and laughed, then gestured for him to hurry. He did, and they caught up to Zelda in good time. Zelda told the guards that Link and Midna were with her, and they passed through the gates, into a wide, beautiful garden.

"Wait, where's the fairy?" asked Zelda. Valee had been following closely but quietly the whole time. She swooped down and circled the young princess, who laughed and tried to catch the sparkles that came off of the fairy.

"ZELDA!!" bellowed a deep voice from the large wooden castle doors. It had come from a tall man, imposing man with tan skin, a gaunt face, and pointed eyebrows. He had wavy golden hair that tumbled to his shoulders, and an equally golden beard. He wore a blood red silk robe over deep ultramarine garments. A thin silver crown rested over his imposing brow, engraved with the triforce; the lower left triangle, representing courage and Farore, was an emerald; the lower right was a sapphire representing Nayru and wisdom, and the top was a ruby to represent Din and power. Link knew at once who the man was.

"Your majesty," said Link, bowing onto one knee. Midna quickly caught his lead and knelt too.

"Zelda, come here!" called a female voice from behind the king. The woman had rounder face adorned with deep sapphire eyes. Her hair was auburn and tied behind her head in a bun and held in place with a silver hairnet. She wore deep violet gown, and around her head was a thing silver chain, hanging from which were other chains at regular intervals, which fell over her face and behind her head. These smaller chains ended in small diamonds and jingled when she moved, much like Zelda's. This woman was the queen.

Zelda ran up to her mother, who beckoned her inside, and was obviously lecturing the girl as she went.

"Your majesty, I am--" Link started to say.

"No need for explanations, young man," said the king, moving closer to the youths. Link could feel himself shaking nervously, and very small beads of sweat were running down his forehead. This was the most powerful man in Hyrule, and could have Link and Midna dead at the bat of an eyelash.

"I want to thank you for returning my daughter," he said, "You may rise." Link and Midna did so. Valee fluttered nervously behind them.

"Your majesty, I am--" Link was cut off again.

"Link," said the king, "I could guess as much. And you are…?" he looked to Midna.

"I am Midna of the Twili tribe," she said, curtsying.

"An honor," he said, holding out his hand. Midna kissed it. The king laughed, "I suppose you already know who I am."

He was quite right. Everyone in Hyrule knew that he was King Nohansen of Hyrule, and his wife was Queen Hena, the humble descendant of a family of fish merchants. They had met when King Nohansen was a boy in Castle Town. Queen Hena was selling the shells and beach glass she had picked up while her father fished. Now, thirty-three years later, she was his queen.

"Yes," said Link.

"So, what trouble did Zelda get into this time?" Nohansen asked, but quickly added, "Oh, where are my manners? Come inside."

He led them through the doors into the great hall, a magnificent three-story high ballroom with a smooth marble floor and gold and white ceilings, holding a massive crystal chandelier. At the front was a large balcony. Link could imagine the annual Hyrule Ball he had heard about in Market Town, and could envision the guests in their formal evening wear, and the royal family making speeches and announcements from the balcony. Link and Midna were led up the stairs to the balcony (Valle closely behind!) and down a long hall with deep mahogany flooring and pale blue walls, lit with glowing oil lamps. They eventually came to a large sitting room, with huge bookcases and deep red loveseats and sofas, and wooden coffee tables adorned with silver trimming. The King motioned for Link and Midna to sit, and they did so on one of the loveseats.

Link began to tell about how he and Midna found Zelda, and how she said she had gotten there. He eventually ended up telling the entire story of the time little Romani had been stolen up to now. King Nohansen was surprisingly affable, and not once did he interrupt. He sat there with keen interest in Link's tale. When Link was finished, Nohansen slowly nodded, digesting the words.

"So, you are headed to the Death Mountain?" he asked, in confirmation. Link nodded.

"Yes, your majesty."

"And you want to go today? It is late in the day, though, and by the time you would reach Kakariko Village it would be nightfall! I propose that you stay here tonight, and leave in the morning, when you are fresh."

Midna looked toward Link, and shrugged.

"I… guess we accept your offer," he said. The King laughed his hearty booming laugh, which reminded Link of Talon, at Lon Lon Ranch.

"Good choice. Would you be having dinner with us?" Link suddenly realized he was hungry.

"If you wouldn't mind," Link replied.

"Excellent. We eat at six. I will get a butler to show you to the guest rooms." Nohansen clapped his hands, and a tall, thin man with thinning brown hair wearing a black suit appeared.

"Jeffrey, take our guests to the guest room wing. They can choose whichever room they would like."

"Yes, milord," he said quietly, bowing. He gestured for Link and Midna to follow. Valee followed silently.

Jeffrey led them down more hallways, then up a flight of stairs into one of the towers. Then, the butler gestured down long hallway.

"These guestrooms are empty," he said, his frail voice thick with a foreign accent, "You may choose which ever one pleases you. The two washrooms are at the end of the hall. Dinner is at six sharp. Do not be late. Good day."

"Wait," said Link, "Before you go. This may seem a little rude, but I noticed you have an accent. Where is it from?"

Jeffrey laughed, "I am from a small northern village called Four Winds. You should visit it sometime; it has magnificent scenery."

"Thank you," said Link, and the butler left.

Midna eventually chose a room with deep purple walls, dark burgundy and black bed sheets, and only one window, which she had drawn the blinds closed to the room was dark, illuminated by one candle, which she had lit.

Link's room, in contrast, had the most windows. The walls were a green paisley design with a rosewood base, and the bed had emerald blankets and light green sheets. It was very bright. Valee rested on a mahogany dresser, probably asleep. A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Link opened it. In the hall was a servant girl, around Link's age, with sand coloured hair tied into two long braids that fell down her back. She held a pile of neatly folded clothing.

"I have been told to give these to you," she said, "They consist of a bathrobe, pyjamas, and an evening suit for the dinner. You may put your clothes in the laundry chute beside your door, and they will be delivered to you, washed, in the morning. Good day."

Link checked the clock. It was five o'clock. Link took the suit and headed to the bathroom, where he took a leisurely bath. He changed into the black pants, white shirt, and black jacket, which he buttoned up and adjusted his collar. The servants had good taste! He combed his longish hair, and put in his turquoise earrings. He fixed his cuffs, and found black dress shoes under the dresser in his room.

It was now 5:45. He was about to leave for the dining hall (which Jeffrey had pointed out along the way to the guest rooms), but knocked on Midna's door first. She came out, and Link was stunned.

Midna wore a gorgeous slim black gown that lacked straps, highlighting her strong but graceful shoulders. The dress had a slit up the side, and Link could see that the black swirling tattoos adorned her pale blueish skin from the right shoulder all the way down to her ankle and around her arm to the wrist. On her feet she wore high heeled sandals that laced up her leg to the knee. She wore her fiery blond hair straight down the back, touching her waist. She still had the braid in tact, with the golden Kargarok feather. Link also noticed that she was wearing eyeliner, which highlighted her gold eyes.

"You… look beautiful!" said Link, near to speechlessness.

"Thank you," said Midna, "You look handsome yourself. Shall we go to the dinner?" She laughed and put out her hand.

"Gladly," said Link, taking the hand. They were about to walk off when they both started laughing. They then went to the dinner hall.

====Scene 3====

In the dining hall was a long table, with many seats. Like other rooms, it had a high domed ceiling, white this time. The floor was white marble, with a crimson rug under the table. One was held huge glass windows, and the others were adorned with gorgeous paintings and portraits. Potted plants were in abundance, ranging from large bamboo stalks in the corners, to delicate Hylian Violets on the table. Many of the chairs at the table were empty, save for those of the king, queen, Zelda, and a few guests Link didn't recognize. There were four guests.

One was a dark haired girl, no older than Link, with pale skin. She wore a snow-white dress, and had silver chains around her shoulders, woven into intricate patterns. In contrast, her hair was worn quite plainly, in a thick braid reaching just below her shoulder blades. Her bangs fell in wisps over her pale face. She wore heavy eyeliner and scarlet lipstick.

Two seats down from her was a young man, a few years older. He had very light, vibrant blond hair in a short, simple ponytail at the base of his neck. He wore glasses that made him look quite handsome. He wore a simple yet handsome black tunic that was quite becoming of him. He held an intricate book on his lap.

Farther down the table, on the other side, was a middle-age man with a bright shock of red hair. The man was quite muscular, his strength highlighted beneath his close fitting black formal jacket. He had imposing features and a small, fiery goatee on his square chin. His eyes were intense blue, and his skin was tan. Every inch of the man reminded Link of flames.

The last guest sat near the king. He was older, with long silver-gray hair and a long braided beard. He wore pale blue robes draped loosely over his shoulders, hiding darker blue tunic. Link found him oddly familiar, and the staff in the corner and the black tattoos under his ice eyes confirmed his suspicion.

"Sensei Orca!" he said, moving forward to the man.

"Link!" laughed Orca in surprise, beckoning his student to sit beside him. Midna followed, and smiled and waved at Zelda as she passed.

"What are you doing here?" Link exclaimed.

"I could ask you the same!"

"Ah, so you already know each other!" the king said warmly, "This is good! Link, Midna, my other guests are Ashia" he gestured to the girl, who nodded, "Shade," the man with glasses, who waved pleasantly, "and Russ," the fiery man, who grunted in acknowledgement, "Of course, you know Orca. These are Link and Midna," he introduced them. Midna nodded, and Link waved.

"So sensei, what are you doing here?" Link asked, as a server handed out the first course, soup.

"My group and I are working with the king to investigate and research certain… occurrences," said Orca.

"What of the dojo?" asked Midna. Upon seeing the confused look on Orca, Midna blurted, "Link has told me much about you." Orca laughed.

"My son, Sturgeon, is seeing it over. I'm glad Link is spreading the word about me!"

The soup had juicy chicken dumplings, and the broth tasted of vegetables and spices. Over the salad course, Link talked about his adventures through the Outset mountains, the forests, and everything up until then. Zelda had moved down the table to talk with Midna, Queen Hena was chatting with Russ, and King Nohansen was discussing business with Ashia and Shade. The third course was the entrée, wine marinated Hylian trout fillets with wild rice and wine. These courses went on for some time, until the final, dessert course of strawberry and vanilla shortcake and white wine. By the time it was done, Link was full and had run dry of conversation. He retired to his room around 9 pm, and slept better than he'd ever had before, in the huge, soft, palace bed.

====Scene 4====

By the time Link awoke the next morning, bright sunlight was flooding the huge windows of his room, and pouring over him, making the emerald bed sheets shimmer and shine. He yawned, stretched, then went to the bathroom. Upon returning, he noticed his green tunic, boots, gloves, and leather sleeves washed and neatly folded on the floor beside his room. He took them back into the bathroom and had a hot bath. He changed, and went into the hall a third time, and saw Midna sitting cross legged, leaning against her door, wearing her familiar black robe. She didn't have the hood drawn, but she was bent over, and Link could hear soft muttering.

"Midna…?" he said, walking over to her. She had her eyes closed. He tapped her shoulder, and she gasped as if she had just been woken up.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Oh, I am fine," she said warmly, but her eyes were flickering, almost nervously.

"Are you sure?" Link asked again.

"Do not worry," Midna suddenly laughed. She stood up, "Come, we should probably get going."

"What time is it?" asked Link.

"Almost 10."

They went downstairs to say their thanks to their hosts, but Queen Hena insisted they have breakfast. They soon left, Zelda tearful at her new friends' departure. Even Valee seemed sad, though she spent most of the evening asleep on the dresser. By the time they were back in Castle Town, the sun was high above them in midday. They explored the small city.

Down the south road were vendors and shops. The constant yelling and noise resulted in Midna ducking into a small, shaded alley. Link followed, and found that it was no alley at all, but a path that led to a small, hidden away pub. Inside, it was softly lit with amber lights.

"Hello there!" called a friendly female voice. The speaker was a jovial woman of medium height, dark skin, and warm brown eyes. She had long red hair that was tied into a series of tight braids, which in turn were tied into a high ponytail. She wore a sand coloured jacket, opened wide to display the cleavage of her large breasts. Her skirt was slightly darker, and probably fell to her ankles. Under her eyes she had painted black lines that ran from the lower eyelid to the chin. Her lips were also painted darkly.

"Hello," Link replied. It was quiet in the pub, which seemed to be a good thing for Midna, who was at the counter.

"Coming right up!" he heard the waitress say. Within minutes, Midna was sitting at a barstool with a tall glass of red liquid. Valee swooped down to inspect it. Midna and the waitress were soon chatting up a storm. The woman's name was Telma, a member of the desert Gerudo tribe who had left her city to make her mark in the outside world.

"Hey, Link," Telma called a few minutes later, "This might seem a bit rude, dear, but could you run this up to a merchant on the West Side Road for me?"

"Oh, of course," he said, taking the paper in Telma's outstretched hand, "Which merchant?"

"Oh, you'll know which one."

Confused, Link left Midna and Valee in the pub, and went into the fray of Castle Town. He found a signpost, and took it's direction to West Side Road.

Telma was right, Link did know which merchant to give it to. She was the only one there. Even though her booth was out of the way, she was getting a decent amount of customers. On closer proximity, Link began to recognize her.

"Kasheri!?" he called in surprise. The Zora girl looked him over for a minute.

"…Link, right?" she asked.

"Yeah, from Market Town."

Kasheri laughed, like water running over stones. "I didn't recognize you under that tunic! What brings you here?"

"Heh, long story. Telma from the pub asked me to give this paper to you."

Kasheri took the page, and read it. She frowned in thought, and then slowly nodded.

"Okay, thanks Link," she said, and Link left for the pub. Upon returning, he saw Ashia and Shade from the dinner last night talking at a table. They had a map spread out over the table.

"Oh," said Shade, looking up, "You are Link, right?"

"Yeah, that's me."

"The king told us you are going to Death Mountain," said Ashia. Her voice was cold and guarded. "Russ is there now. Could you meet him there?"

"I guess so," said Link.

"Thank you," said Shade. His voice was warm, open, and intelligent. "I will send word to him."

Just before they left, Telma gave Link a 100 rupee piece. They then ran to the quieter residential area of Castle Town. From there, they walked out of the east gate. From this spot, Kakariko and Death Mountain weren't far. Link could see cliffs that signalled the canyon of Kakariko Gorge, and a towering moointain that was definitely their destination.

"Shall we?" Link asked.

It didn't need answering.

====Scene 5====

It was late afternoon when Link, Midna, and Valee reached Kakariko. The town was an old Shiekah settlement, the only one in Hyrule. Hidden away within the walls of a massive canyon, it was definitely a sight to see. Wind constantly blasted through the canyon.

"What is wrong?" asked Midna upon seeing a negative look on his face.

"Oh," he said, "My friend Ilia wanted to see all of Hyrule like I am now. I just feel badly that she has to stay at her farm while I travel."

"When you go back home," said Midna, "You should take her on travels, and see these places together."

"Yeah," Link said, "I'm already considering it."

The houses of Kakariko were built into the stone walls. Link entered the Hotel to find it was quite spacious inside. He booked a room for two. Link and Midna had dinner at the restaurant next door, and were relaxing in the room when the door handle tried to turn.

It was locked.

"Who's there?" called Link.

The door handle turned again. There was a click of the lock breaking open, and the door swung open.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hooray for Twilight Princess references!! Ashia, Shade, and Telma are all from Twilight Princess characters, as is Russ's name. King Nohansen is ever-so-loosely based on the king in Wind Waker, as is Zelda's design.

OC Check:

**Princess Zelda**: A young princess with a knack for mischief and mis-adventure. She knows the geographical background of Hyrule like the back of her hand.

**King Nohansen**: Hyrule's revered king. He is warm, kind, and generous.

**Queen Hena**: The descendant of a fisherman's family, who married the King. She is gentle, yet strict.

**Jeffrey**: The King's foreign butler.

**Ashia**: A cold girl who is working closely with the King, for unknown reasons.

**Shade**: He also works with the King. He kind and intelligent.

**Russ**: A fiery man working with the King. Not much is known of him.

**Telma**: A Gerudo woman who left her tribe for the outside world. She is motherly and jovial.

You can expect Ch7 in a few millennia.


	7. Act 2 Chapter 7

==Act 2==

===Chapter 7===

====Scene 1====

"Who are you?" Midna whispered, moving swiftly toward the door. The silhouette in the dark hall was barely humanoid, with a seemingly swollen body and short legs.

"I am the Goron messenger Nobuo," said the form, and he then made a noise that resembled _goro_, "Is this the room of Link, goro?"

"Um, I'm Link," said Link, getting up. He fumbled for the lantern, and when it was turned on, the form in the doorway was revealed to be a Goron, with a large muscular orange-red body and a particularly round belly. The Goron had the stereotypical rocky growths across his shoulders and back, and intertwining white tattoos that spread across the front of his body and face. The Goron wore nothing but a small white loincloth, and surveyed the room with beady black eyes set in a rounded face over a small flat nose and a wide mouth.

"The Goron chief Darnashin wishes to see you, goro," said Nobuo.

"How does he- when did-" Link stuttered, a little stunned, "How does he know I'm here!? I arrived three hours ago!"

"The chief has his ways, goro," Nobuo laughed, "Come with me."

As he and Midna left the room, Link glanced toward the dresser where Valee slept. He told Midna to wait, then scribbled a note for Valee and left it on the dresser, and left it beside her. He then ran out the door to catch up with Nobuo.

====Scene 2====

The trio moved down the canyon of Kakariko, until Nobuo stopped them.

"He is in this building, goro," he said. They entered a seemingly small building carved into the cliff face, but inside, the house was large and spacious. Link loved the idea of building that were bigger inside than they were outside.

Inside stood three people. On was Russ; Link recognized him immediately. The second was a tall man with relatively dark skin and long brown hair. His eyes flamed red and he wore strange blue form-fitting clothes that highlighted his muscular build. The third was a Goron, significantly taller than Nobuo. He was also much more muscular, with intimidating square-cut features, and the air about him could only identify him as one person.

"My lord Darnashin (goro), I have brought Link, as you requested," said Nobuo. Link and Midna bowed.

"So you are Link," said Darnashin. His voice was deep and booming, "I have foreseen your arrival. I have heard many good things about you from people such as Russ here," he gestured with a massive hand (which was most likely bigger than Link's head) toward the fiery man Link had met the previous day, "and the King."

"Link," said the dark-skinned man, "I am honoured to make your acquaintance. I am Renn, the shaman, or spiritual advisor, of the Shiekah tribe." He and Link shook hands. Renn's features were soft, but severe at the same time. His eyes were bright red and slanted. His clothes consisted of a tight fitting blue shirt with an eye symbol, a loose white scarf around his neck, tight blue pants of the same material as the shirt, and brown leather boots. His dark brown hair was tied in a complex series of thin braids that were tied into an intricate ponytail-like style.

Russ had his hair in the same spiky hairstyle he had worn at the dinner, but his clothes were much different. He wore a light brown sleeveless shirt that showed the entirety of his well muscled arms. He wore a long piece of thick cord around his waist, and baggy cargo pants.

"So…" Link was about to start saying something, but he was too scared of disrespect.

"Why have we been summoned?" Midna asked for him.

"Link," said Russ, stressing the name, "Has been summoned to help Chief Darnashin with his troubles within Death Mountain."

"Three Gorons found a stone staff a few days ago," said Darnashin, "And brought it back into the mountain. Being young, they decided to play with it in the deeper caverns, and something went awry. The three Gorons died and the deep caves were frozen, forcing a portion of us to evacuate the mountain. The day before last, I foresaw you two liberating the caves, so I have come to ask of your help. I wish to ask if, tomorrow, you could remove the staff from the caverns."

"But staff will kill us, too," said Midna as Link digested the request.

"If my visions were correct, it will not," said Darnashin, "But I must warn you, whatever dark power is in the staff has created monsters that have infested the innards of the mountain. It is very dangerous."

"Thanks for the warning," said Link, although he expected monsters anyway, "Oh, Russ, Ashia and Shade asked me to meet you here."

"I'll talk to you after you clear the mountain," he said, and left. Renn watched him leave before going himself. Lastly, Nobuo and Darnashin left. Link and Midna retired to the hotel room again, and went to sleep.

====Scene 3====

When Link awoke, Valee was also awake.

"You sure seem to sleep a lot," he said to the fairy.

"What can I say, flying takes a lot of energy!"

"Fair answer."

Midna woke a few minutes later, and the trio (Valee included) set off for Death Mountain. Along the way, they were stopped by Renn.

"Link!" he called from his home, which apparently was the house Link met Darnashin in yesterday. Link, Midna, and Valee went over to him. Sitting on the small porch, with her legs crossed, was a girl of about Link's age.

"Link," said Renn, "This is Rida. I hope you don't mind if she comes with you to the mountain."

Rida stood up. She was Hylian, a little shorter than Link. She had mid-back length brown hair which cascaded in wisps. Under her bangs Link could see bright, attentive brown eyes that stood out stunningly against her fair skin. She wore a simple long one-piece cloak, which probably used to be green but had faded to a pale brown under the sun, and clutched a long wooden staff with a large green orb encrusted into the top. Overall, she was a rather attractive young woman.

"Pleased to meet you, Link," she said brightly, her thin hand extending from the folds of her robe. Link shook it, and introduced Midna and Valee to her. Midna she regarded with an exotic reverence, and to Valee she laughed, amused by the fairy's dust.

"Rida knows the tunnels of Death Mountain well," Renn continued, "And will act as your guide."

As the quartet walked toward the mountain, Rida chatted.

"Your accent," said Link, "Would you be from Four Winds?"

"You have a good ear," Rida laughed, "Have you been there before?"

"No," Link replied, "I met a butler in Castle Town with the same accent."

"What was his name?"

"His name was Jeffrey; he worked in the Casa Hylia," Link replied, using Hyrule Castle's formal name just for the heck of it.

"The name sounds familiar," Rida said, "But I can't put my finger on it."

"What exactly is this staff?" asked Midna, "Do you know? What does it look like?"

"To obtain that staff," said Rida, "Is the real reason I'm coming with you. I saw it on the first day the three Gorons found it. It's black obsidian, with dyed red designs streaking the length of it. Every so often along these streaks is a diamond shaped ruby, and at the top is a huge Blood Ruby. The staff itself is crooked at some points." She described the object passionately, revealing her love of beautiful staffs.

"I knew it…" Midna whispered.

"What?" asked Link, who hadn't been paying attention.

"The staff is one of Midnight's three items. I need it to exact my revenge on him. Rida, I apologize, but once I have finished with the staff I will give it to you, I promise."

Rida laughed, "I wasn't expecting to gain the staff at all," she said, "But I would love to have it when you're finished. Thank you!"

"That's Death Mountain," said Rida after a few minutes, pointing up at the tallest peak in the near, jagged horizon. Around the top circled a ring of stormy clouds, "And at the top is the Dragon Roost, where the sky god Valoo and his followers, the winged Rito tribe, live."

"How do you get up there?" Link asked in awe of the Roost's sheer height. Rida grinned at him, exposing her white teeth.

"You climb," she said as if it was the most normal idea in the world.

"You-- you _climb_? That? How!?" Link was flustered by the idea.

"That's the hard part."

They reached Death Mountain in good time. At the base of the mountain was a small gorge, sort of like an entrance hall. Link guessed that it could be used as a kind of defence system, and Rida replied with the fact that Gorons could roll themselves into balls and hurtle down the gorge when an intruder was seen. The watchtower guards knew Rida, so they were safe.

"Ah , Link!" Darnashin's voice rumbled once they reached the end of the gorge. The way he stood made it obvious that he had been waiting for them, "And young Rida, too! The mountain cave's entrance is just up this path. Please, be careful."

"Don't worry, Chief," said Rida, "They won't be hurt. Not under my watch, anyway." Darnashin laughed.

"Then do not lose sight of them. I will await your return."

The mountain path was steep, with many twists and turns, but eventually the quartet reached the top, which ended in a recently deserted hot spring. Beyond the hot spring was an entrance to a cave, and Link knew that this led into the deserted Goron city.

"Are you ready?" Link asked. Midna nodded.

"Of course!" said Rida.

====Scene 4====

Spectacular was the first word that came into Link's head when he stepped into the Goron city. It was a huge hollowed out cylinder that must have gone five of six storeys downward. On each storey were bridges that led to a central disk, all suspended by cables to each other in a row. Link could see that the lower-most disc had fallen; huge slabs of stone littered the base of the city, and the stubs of bridges could still be seen on the wall. Each wall was lined by a pathway about five feet wide, and from these were openings that must have led to the homes and shops.

Standing at the centre of the uppermost disc was Nobuo, who waved to the quartet. Rida stepped out onto the bridge first and crossed it with ease, but Link clutched the railing, scared to look down. Midna crossed it calmly, and Valee, who flew, didn't really cross it, but something like that.

"Nobuo!" Rida called, "Isn't it dangerous here?"

"It is, goro," said Nobuo, "But I am here to guide you into the main part of the mines, goro, where we sealed the staff. This pathway leads," he gestured down one of the bridges, "Leads to the mining area, goro."

"Thank you," Rida bowed.

"Oh, and the Chief asked me to give you this chart, goro. It will help you navigate the mines, goro," Nobuo said, giving the map to Link.

"Thank you very much, Nobuo," said Link. Nobuo made a gesture that Rida later identified as a Goron sign of respect.

The first room of the mines was very hot. In the center was a grand staircase that was about three metres wide, and rose halfway up the wall to a large door that was barred by an iron gate. Running down the sides of the room were rivers of lava (hence the heat), with small bridges going over them to hallways which probably led into the body of the mine.

_Fwooom_

Link glanced up at the noise to see a tall green flame dancing and flickering from one of the torches near the staircase. There were four torches, and they were fixed to a wide stone railing down the middle of the staircase. The one that had just lit was the second from the bottom.

"Strange…" said Rida, thoughtfully. She took the map Nobuo had given her, and unrolled it, laying on the stone floor. "I think we're here," she said, pointing to one chamber, "There's a green Torch icon here. There's also a white one here, a blue one here, and a red one here." She pointed to different chambers as she spoke. "I've seen this kind of device in the Gerudo Desert. Each Torch has to be lit in order to proceed."

"To light the others," said Midna, "We must go to each room with a Torch icon."

"There are three of us, and three torches," said Link, "And splitting up would make this ordeal a whole lot faster."

"Sounds good," Rida replied. Midna nodded. Valee fluttered around Rida, indicating she wanted to go with her.

"What about the map?" said Link, "Who keeps the map?"

"I can memorize the path to, say, the red torch," said Rida.

"I shall find the white torch," said Midna, studying the map.

"So Link takes the map to find the blue one," Rida rolled the map up, "Here you go."

"Come back here when your torch is lit," said Link. The others nodded, and they split up.

====Scene 5====

Rida's Path

I didn't like this dungeon one bit. Earth is my element, not fire. Never fire. In fact, fire was somewhat of a weakness to me.

I crossed the small bridge over the lava moat. The hallway that came directly after the bridge had a red flame symbol above it, an obvious hint in the right direction.

The hallway was long and twisting. I didn't like the twisting part, because I couldn't see any more than a few feet ahead of me. I clutched my staff, waiting for something to leap out at me. To my general surprise, though, nothing did. Then I heard a scream, muffled, but a scream nonetheless. I jumped, looking behind me, but nothing was there. It must have been my imagination.

The hallway opened up to a large crater. I looked up, shielding my eyes from the sun. The sky was blue as ever, with the occasional puffy cloud drifting lazily around it.

Definitely the right choice of paths.

I guessed I had found a loading dock. Thinking back to the map Link had, this cavern had a crate icon, meaning my guess was probably right. I surveyed the docks. There were wooden platforms and walkways arching and spreading across the crater like a spider's web. Above was a large electromagnet, probably designed to lift the loaded goods mechanically. The Gorons were much more advanced than I had thought.

Then an interesting Goron thought struck me.

Were there female Gorons?

Before I had time to think about it, an arrow whizzed past my head. I must have screamed pretty loudly, for a few boxes beside me toppled over.

"I knew there was a catch," I groaned, ducking behind larger crates to escape more arrows. Judging the situation, I had to weave my way through the web of paths to the other side of the crater while dodging arrows the entire time. Fun.

"Do you have some sort of long-range weapon?" came a squeak beside me. I jumped, then realized it was only Valee. I'd never heard her talk before.

"I don't think so," I replied.

"Those are Bulblins up there," said Valee, "They're all strength, no planning skills at all. If you could trick them, you'd have them beat."

"I have an idea," I mumbled. I rested my hand on my staff's orb. It glowed and turned transparent, with green energy of different shades crackling through it. Then, when the spell was finished, a holographic-looking image of myself appeared.

"Good idea," Valee said brightly, "That will confuse them."

I took a deep breath, then ran from my hiding spot. I could see that all of the archers were focusing on the doppelganger, and were probably confused as to how she could survive so many arrows. I laughed inwardly, which was cut short as an arrow flew past me, taking a small lock of hair with it.

"Farore Above, that was close!" I cried, as the near-impact almost knocked m down. Inwardly, I swore much worse. They were targeting me now! I ducked behind another stack of crates. This one had a little peep-hole, which I used to survey the room, figuring out which turns to take.

After another deep breath I jumped out of my hiding spot, pleased to see that the archers had started targeting the doppelganger again, who was just running wildly around the paths. I ran down a path and ducked behind more crates. I touched the orb on the top of my staff. _Show me the way_, I thought. I looked up, and saw the doppelganger running toward the big electromagnet. It was an odd direction, but I knew the extent of my spells, and her way will at least get me wherever I'm going.

I ran out of my hiding spot again, this time knowing exactly which paths to take. I ducked behind crates when they came, and used these as breathers as my doppelganger held decoy. Farore Above, I wish I had learned a cloaking spell before I left! After a few more minutes of running and ducking, I reached the electromagnet. It was a tall, metallic structure that tapered near the top. At the top, a long arm extended outwards, and at the end of that arm hung a huge metal disc. That disc was the magnet. Around the tower were metal platforms at regular intervals.

I looked around to see my doppelganger above me, on the second platform. She then took a metal pathway that I hadn't noticed, spiralling up the tower. She stopped when she reached the third and highest platform.

_Psheeeew _went an arrow. I yelped as the tip dug into my arm. I pulled it out, and pressed my torn clloak against the wound to stop the blood. Then I ran. I charged up the spiralling pathways to the first platform, then the second, and then the third. When I got to the top, I realized three things.

First, my doppelganger had disappeared. The spell had been broken when the arrow shot me.

Second, I now knew where exactly the archers were stationed.

Third, there was no way to get to the other side. The three pathways that led across the wide gap in the exact middle had all been destroyed.

"How am I going to cross that!?" I cried.

"The magnet!" squeaked Valee in sudden realization, "Do you have anything metal on you?"

"No…" I said, thinking, "But maybe my staff might stick…"

"Then the real question is how to turn it on."

"This was built by Gorons," I mused, "To be used by Gorons. How would a Goron turn it on?" Then I noticed a large square raised spot on the other side of the platform.

"Maybe that's a switch there," I said. I went over to it and jumped on it. It moved, but I was obviously much lighter than a Goron, so the switch didn't move all the way down.

"Have any spells for this?" Valee asked.

"Actually, I do," I clutched my staff, focusing on a spell. This was one pf the hardest ones to execute, so it took a bit of effort. Eventually, I heard the rumbling, and a few seconds later hundreds of pounds of earth came snaking through the air toward me. I jumped out of the way just in time as all of the dirt landed on the switch. It was heavy enough to weight it down. With a _clunk_ and a _whiiiiiiiiiirr_ the magnet came to life. The disc was glowing blue from the energy, and I could see a faint blue column of light, created by the magnetic pull.

I walked up to the column of blue slowly. I knew I needed to do this, but the notion of hanging from an electromagnet isn't so inviting. Then, with another _clunk_, the magnet swung around to a platform on the other side of the gap. The magnet turned off for a few minutes, the turned back on and came back. When the magnet turned back on over here, I gingerly held out my staff--whoop!!

"Aiyaah! Get me down from here!" I cried, suspended from the magnet by the end of my staff. I must have been flailing around or making noise or something, because arrows started whizzing toward me. I just held on for dear life as the magnet moved. I screamed as I began to slip, but I regained my grip. The magnet stopped moving, but didn't turn off. Not yet, at least. Then, I heard a strange crackling sound, as if something were on fire. I looked up to see bolts of electricity snapping and sparkling around the orb of the staff, which was stuck to the magnet. Then a bolt shocked my hands, and I let go.

BAD decision.

I screamed as I plummeted a good fifty feet, landing hard on the metal loading dock below. I coughed, and a small spat of blood came out. Of course, the magnet turned off just then. I saw the staff falling, coming closer.

"Bad decision bad decision bad decision!" I whispered, and rolled out of the way just before the end of the staff stabbed into the metal at the spot I'd been a fraction of a second before. I slowly stood up, and regarded the staff, jammed into a seam in the metal. Then the pain from my little tumble there got to me, and I clutched my chest.

"Where's that fairy!" I yelled. The fairy came twinkling over the gap toward me. I glared at her as she came over.

"What?" was the first thing Valee said.

"It was your dumb decision to drop me from that magnet," I replied.

"Well it got you over the gap, didn't you?"

I grumbled and went to pick up my staff. It shocked me when I touched it. I tried again. It didn't shock me this time, but it was stuck between two pieces of the iron floor. I pulled once, twice, three times before it came out. I stumbled when it did. I looked at the orb on top in fascination. Where it had been green, it was now clear with a strange leaf-green cloud hovering in the centre, with sparks bursting out of it and crackling along the surface of the orb.

"I wonder if it absorbed energy from the magnet," Valee mused, inspecting the orb.

"Worth a try!" I said, holding the staff at arm's length. I gathered up my magic and BOOM! A bolt of electricity shot out of the sky, frying one of the archers, whose body fell from the ledge it was on, exploding into smoke in mid-air.

"Haha!" I laughed, "This could come in handy!" I repeated what I had just done, and in a few minutes the archers were dead and I was free to figure out my way.

"Okay," I said. I started walking around the maze of paths, systematically figuring out the way to the other side. I could see the gate on the crater's edge, beckoning for me, taunting and daring me to find the way. I thought I could do it. I had the time.

Well, I thought I did.

I heard a loud _sploosh_, and whipped around to look to where the noise was coming from. I almost cried out. Rising from the water below the wooden paths was a massive tentacle of water. I could see a disgusting eyeball floating in the tentacle, spinning around madly.

"Wh-what is that!?" I whispered.

"The Chu Morpha," Valee replied, equally as quiet, "It looks mad."

"I never would have guessed," I whispered flatly. The tentacle rose up and up until it was more than 50 feet tall. It then moved toward the electromagnet tower, winding itself around it.

"Farore Above," I cried as it bent the tower, the tip coming downward toward me. I ran. I ran down the paths, not caring where I was going as long as it was away from the tower. I ran faster as I began to hear the creaks and groans of bending metal. My chest was on fire, both from the fall injury and from the mad running. I was panting, I could feel sweat bead on my forehead, but I didn't care, as long as I got away from the now falling tower.

And then I tripped.

I landed hard on my chest, yelling out, spitting and coughing blood. Farore Above, it hurt worse than anything I had ever felt. My staff spun out of reach, balancing on the edge of a pathway. Then there was a screech of metal. In horror, I looked up to see the tower breaking and snapping, huge sparks crackling away from it. It began to fall now; I saw the shadow around me growing larger around me; I hurt too much to move; I hurt to much to get to safety.

The tower was almost on top of me.

I covered my head and pulled my body in to get as small as I could.

Despite the pain, I took a deep breath.

====Scene 6====

Midna's Path

Thanks to her photographic memory, Midna had perfectly memorized the path to the White Torch. The door to it was the only one on the right side of the room; Rida's and Link's were to the left. It began with a long, straight corridor. At the end, Midna could see red light emanating from the opening.

As she got about halfway, she began to feel heat, and as she got closer to the end it got stronger. At the end of the corridor she stopped to take off her robe. She pulled it off and rolled it into a small ball, placing it at the doorway. She then stepped in.

The first thing she noticed was the brightness. Corridor opened up into a large cavern that was a hundred feet wide and hundreds long. The first fifty feet was rock, with a path leading to a ledge. Then, there were small islands of rock in a pool of magma. Beyond was a little more ground, and then countless bent and destroyed metal structures over more magma. The light radiated from the magma and reflected off the cavern walls.

Remembering the map, Midna knew she would have to somehow cross the pools of magma to get to another corridor on the other side of the room. She drew a breath and walked down the path to the edge of the magma pool. She surveyed the room, her dark eyes flitting. She then stepped back a few paces, and took a running leap over the magma, landing squarely on the rock island. With less space this time, she jumped to the next, landing with a grunt on one knee.

There were a few other rock islands, but the ledge on the other side was closer. She jumped, and screamed when she realized she wouldn't quite make it. She hit the edge, holding herself with her elbows and forearms. She grunted, kicking her legs up over the ledge, rolling onto the stone. She lay there a few minutes, breathing heavily. She then got up, propping herself up on the elbow. Sweat was beading on her forehead.

She got up, regulating her breathing rate. The twisting metal structures seemed to have once been connected to the cavern walls, but were now bending and warping toward the magma. Broken metallic bridges could also be seen. The shadows all of these structures cast over the walls were… eerie. Midna couldn't describe it any other way. Her home city I the twilight realm was full of shadows, but not like this.

She shook her head and began to think logically. The metal structures were made of a seemingly iron frame with a sort of mesh to form surfaces. One surface was always solid metal, but they were usually too bent to walk across. If the space between the mesh links was great enough, she might be able to get her fingers through, and travel across the structures either by hanging and going hand-over-hand, or climbing them from the outside.

She went up to the first structure, and tapped it to test its stability. It didn't budge. She then gave it a hard kick. Nothing. Drawing a deep breath, she slid her fingers between the mesh links, then put the toe of her boot in, and used that to push herself up, all the while inserting and re-inserting her hands into the mesh of metal. In no time, she reached the top of the structure. The first one was relatively flat, so she just walked across it. The next one was severely bent out of shape, and only the one surface remained, parallel to the magma below. It was attached to the walls and ceiling in three places, making it sturdy. It was higher up than the platform she was standing on, but well within reach.

She crouched down, and reached over to the platform, holding onto the mesh. She then inserted her other hand in the same way, with her fingers through the mesh. With a grunt she kicked off with her legs, hanging now. Holding on with one hand, she slid the other hand out and grabbed back on further up. She repeated this, swinging, hand over hand, until she reached the end. Below her was a solid metal platform, and she jumped down onto it.

From there it was just an easy walk to the other end of the cavern. Then a blast of fire came at her, barely missing her head. Midna whirled to see a red and blue toad-like creature swimming in the lava. Midna charged a spell on her left hand, and fired it into the lave, but the Toadpoli had dove under the lava. The spell hit and made a small islet of rock in the lava which quickly melted again. The Toadpoli burst up again in a different spot, and Midna whirled, firing the same spell. She ducked, and the spell left her hand just as fire exploded on the wall where her head had been a few seconds earlier. The spell hit the Toadpoli, killing it and dissipating it into purple smoke.

As she walked, Midna took in the strange surroundings, using this as time to regain her stamina. The object that interested her the most was a large disc on the wall. It glowed orange, but the top layer was cracked, and it fizzled and made sparks.

The next room was spectacular. A giant crater, as deep as the Goron City. Midna stood on a ledge overlooking the crater's depths. The door to the Torch room was on the other side, over another ledge. Midna looked up. Creating a makeshift ceiling was a spider web of thick metal bars, twisted and bent into seemingly random patterns. Some hung down more than others, and every so often a chain would dangle from the metal mess. There were also platforms jutting down from the mess of metal, large flat squares suspended by metal poles. The room was lit by burning torches placed at intervals around the circular cavern wall, parallel to the ledge. On the metal ceiling hung dim, fizzling orange discs.

Midna knew what she had to do. Unfortunately, this room would not be easy at all.

Midna was afraid of heights. Now, she had to face a crater hundreds of feet deep. She took a deep breath.

"You can do it, Midna, you can do it," she whispered. The only running start she could manage was about two steps, so she used it, and grabbed on to the nearest hanging chain. Willing herself not to look down, she pulled herself in close, holding on with her entire being. She began to swing the chain slowly, then gradually faster, until she was swinging at a good pace. She then let go at the right moment, allowing her to fly through the air and grab on to a bar hanging down.

The impact hurt her hands, but she steeled herself, and swung herself by the hands. A platform was within jumping distance. As she swung, she heard a distant flapping noise. It got louder and louder, confusing her. What in Hyrule was that sound? Then, she saw little black bats fluttering up to her. One nipped her in the leg.

"Ow!" she yelped. Another nipped her hand, just as she was about to jump for the platform. She let go, screaming at the realization she jumped to early. The sound echoed around her as she flew through the air. She flailed, trying to get herself farther, trying to land on the platform safely.

She didn't make it.

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A/N: I'm not dead!!! But as far as you know, the characters might be -evil grin-

I'm sorry this chapter took so long, I finally got out of exams, and then I was brain-dead for dungeon ideas.

Ocs

**Nobuo**: A Goron, a faithful assistant to the Chief.

**Darnashin**: The Goron chief. He is strong-willed and loyal to his people. A good leader.

**Renn**: The Shiekah shaman. He is wise far beyond his years, and has a strong knowledge of magic.

**Rida: A Hylian explorer. She hails from the town of Four Winds. She is an avid staff collector, but there may be an underlying motive.**

**NOTE: Rida is not my character, she belongs to Branwenn-Wolf.**


End file.
